No Going Back?
by ZombieGuy96
Summary: After the events of Episode 4 Clementine's situation only gets worse, that is until she is given a second chance to make things right. Sent back in time to the events of Episode 3, Clementine must prevent the deaths of her friends and make dangerous deals with the devil himself, while making new friends along the way (includes more of the 400 days characters)
1. Amid The Ruins

Clementine always liked to think that by this point (freezing in the fields of white, the cold gales freezing her to the core) that she had developed a tough skin, not only to the temperature but too the traumatic events and the losses she had endured. Yet standing wedged between Luke and Kenny she still felt traces of very real white hot fear course through her veins as the aggression between her group and the Russian bandits surrounding them escalated to greater levels.

She could only glance around her, her pistol hovering at her waist uncertain whether or not to shoot at these new threats who had already made their intention clear this was a robbery of their vital supplies (and Arvo had lied to them about Clementine stealing those pills, she had let the young man escape with them, so if he lied about that, she was uncertain on whether this was just simply be a robbery) her mind flashed back to those bodies she, Pete and Nick found at the River a lifetime ago.

Looking around at her allies, would they simply be the bodies scattered on the earth for some other survivor to come across and inspect?

The thought chilled Clementine to the bone, she hadn't come this far and lost so many people she cared about to fall at this hurdle, she had to get to Wellington. Yet as she turned to check on the newborn baby in Rebecca's arms a horrible sight met her eyes, one that crushed her previous inner motivation and tough skin.

Rebecca, a new found friend and someone who Clementine had grown fond of was perched forward on the tyre she was seated upon. Her newborn son squealed in her lap, she wasn't moving a muscle an almost peaceful expression was carved onto her pale face, Clementine gulped a new wave of grief crashing over her as she felt the all too familiar hollow yet sickening sense of grief twist her gut into knots.

No matter how many friends she had lost, no matter how many times she went through this process, the death of another friend was always another blow to her. She had grown stronger (there was no doubting that) but now with Rebecca gone (Clementine's old habitat of crossing her fingers and praying to herself "Please Be okay, Please Be okay" was fading. That inner chorus of motivation had died inside her a long time ago)

And in a strange way she was dying inside too.

Rebecca twitched and moaned with the face of another hostile walker and not a friend who was slowly looking up at her, she buried her feelings of grief with another gulp and lifted her heavy arms, as she knew what had to be done. Rebecca had died of either exhaustion or hypothermia and right now the newborn baby in her arms was the one in danger. Clementine lifted the pistol to her eyeline and looked down the nuzzle just as Lee had taught her, with no time to waste she pulled the trigger.

There was a resounding POP as Rebecca fell backwards, blood spurting from the bullet wound in her forehead, a perfect shot. She could take little comfort in knowing that her weary friend was finally at peace.

_"Everyone's luck runs out eventually" _

Jane's words returned to haunt her, just as Luke whipped around at the sound of a gun being fired, seeing the last of his original group die he bellowed in shock "NO!" This (mingled with the bullet being fired) is what caused the hostility to peak.

The large tattooed man open fired on Clementine's group.


	2. Blood and Iron

_Luke- He reminded her a lot of Lee, on the bridge and on the ski lodge he was always very protective of her, he was like the older brother she never had, yet as of late Clementine had started to grow tired of his constant arguments with Kenny and rather than defend the group he was busy "doing things" with Jane, that made Clementine uncomfortable. She liked the idea of people being in love kissing like her parents used too, whatever Luke and Jane were doing was something different that she didn't fully understand as of yet._

_After Jane left, Luke began to crack, she could see with his outburst (which had the first time she heard him that angry) ever since then all he did was complain about the situation or argue with Kenny. Yet Clementine couldn't help but notice that his "best friend" of twenty years had died and he seemed to care more about a woman he just met than he did Nick. Was Luke really Nick's friend? Was he really her "friend?"_

The man she had grown to like so much during her first days with him was the first to fall, Clementine was standing right beside him when the tattooed man's bullet's ripped through his torso, warming Clementine's face with hot droplets of his blood. Clementine heard him grunt in pain and fire back at the man, from where she was shielded behind Luke the tattooed man fell into a motionless heap. Yet Luke bent and fell also, he tried (and failed) to stop the fountain of blood spurting from several red holes in his orange shirt.

He fell on his knees as the first casualty of Clementine's group his blood stained the pure white surface of the snow a blackening crimson colour, although he may have rubbed on her the wrong way lately she still felt a small tear slide down her face as Luke's kindly brown orbs gazed at her one last time. He tried to murmur something that sounded like "...orry... id" but now blood was pumping from his mouth too, as he fell motionless on the floor, his brown eyes still gazing at the overcast sky.

"I'm sorry too Luke" she found herself sobbing.

From around her gunshots were firing, screams and grunts of pain encompassed her range of hearing, yet as she looked up only a new rage ignited in her empty gut, as she saw Arvo pull a shaky gun on her. He hesitated to shoot and that was his downfall.

Clementine fired at him twice, he wasn't the one to kill Luke directly but his blatant lie had lead to all this. She realised being a nice person meant nothing anymore. Her last burden of optimism died in the form of a sweet but naive 15 year old girl called Sarah, who she left behind to die at a trailer park in order to save herself. In another life her and Sarah could have been "friends" the girl never intended to hurt anybody but she had "ceased to function".

Like Jane said there was no point dragging people like that through hell, Arvo was weak, he had lied and was now cowering in fear, afraid to shoot a little girl. With his leg brace Clementine could only hazard a guess on how he had survived this long, yet as the two bullets pierced his skull, Clementine had no regrets on killing him.

Instead the guilt ate away at her for another reason.

She should have shot him earlier, then none of this would have happened, he wouldn't have let the bandits to them. She should have convinced Jane to shoot him, or done it herself. Why didn't she? She should have known from the moment she left Sarah behind that she was no longer the child once was, yet her guilt at Sarah had caused her so much silent guilt that she had too go and use up her remaining scarps of generosity to help a twitchy stranger.

Wrong call. Just like Omid she had screwed up and Luke had paid the price.

Lee, Omid, Luke... the list could go on "People die because of me" she had warned Luke weeks back and wasn't that true?

She turned to deal with the rest of the bandits only to find them all lying dead in the shrubs, yet two of her group had also fallen in the fray.

_Mike- Was a nice guy, she found herself growing to like the kindly and strong man more and more and she wanted to know him better._

_Bonnie- Clementine despised her at first and then slowly but surely the kindly southern redhead woman earned her way into Clementine's good books. She was level headed and someone Clementine was starting to rely on and most importantly trust. (She had told Bonnie about Luke and Bonnie had been open with her) _

Bonnie and Mike, two more names added to the list of people Clementine had killed.

They lay there, bled out, eyes wide, taken out but taking the bandits out with them, Clementine felt the harsh winds freeze the tears on her face as the weight of the dead began to pile on her shoulders. She thought she was cutting off all restraints and becoming stronger with each passing, yet more people weighed on her conscious just making her want to cry and hug...

No. Lee was gone.

She stood there overwhelmed, she could almost see Pete's phantom form emerge from the snow coated trees announcing to her this was "FUBAR" but Pete wouldn't come, only the whistling wind and the panicked cries of the baby along with the silence of the dead.

She was surrounded by the corpses of her friends.

She was unscathed, which was the worst agony she could possibly suffer.

Kenny stood, not tall, he had one hand covering a wound near his thigh as his back was bent in fatigue and pain, yet remarkably he was alive. "He really is lucky" Clementine thought gladly only wishing that Lee could have been the same "Please be lucky" she had begged of him, "Yet that made no difference in the end" Clementine thought bitterly.

The Floridian man turned to the bodies on the ground and muttered "Shit" in frustration, Clementine could only stare blankly, afraid to say anything in case he would snap at her again and considering he was the only adult left she dare not upset or antagonize him now. She could only stare, hoping he would say something comforting to her.

A few seconds passed that felt like geological age to Clementine, eventually Kenny sighed and he was drawn towards the baby's cries, tenderly he used the arm that wasn't covering his wound to lift the squealing baby from his mother's mangled body. "It's okay, It's okay" he told the baby softly as he rocked it side to side trying to subside it's walker drawing cries.

"Kenny, what are we...?" Clementine began timidly.

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP CLEMENTINE!" Kenny exploded shattering the cold air around them.

Clementine was stunned to reply, as Kenny turned to face her, his face warped in fury.

"YOU GOT EVERYONE HERE KILLED BECAUSE YOU STOLE THAT GUY'S PILLS...!" He bellowed

"I didn't..." Clementine began meekly.

"Just shut up I can't even look at you, If Lee did what was right he'd have left you to die with that stranger" He hissed at her.

There was no remorse, no apology, no look of shock on his face as he turned away from Clementine, marching away with the baby in his arms she swore he heard him mutter to the infant "C'mon Duck..."

She was going to be left behind, with no emotion she pulled the screwdriver Jane had given her and (without looking at their faces) impaled her friends skulls to ensure they wouldn't be coming back as walkers. It was the very least she could do for them now.

Yet as she walked onwards with Kenny and the baby through the increasing winds and thickening snow on the ground, what Kenny had said to her... Rebecca, Luke, Bonnie and Mike, four friends gone in minutes...

She was cracking, for the first time in almost 2 years she wept her heart out.

Trying hard to follow an indifferent Kenny into a hell she no longer wanted to be dragged through.


	3. All The Dark Night

The town in the distant horizon reminded Clementine hauntingly of Savannah, wiping flecks of melting snow from her eyes as she squinted through the white haze to see the church in the town. It was similar to the one that dominated the skyline of Savannah and Clementine couldn't help but feel as if history was about to repeat itself, yet strangely there was no adrenaline coursing through her veins here. Back in Savannah she was a naive 8 year old excited to see her parents yet equally as fearful of horrors the large city would contain.

Now she was a hardened 11 year old, with nothing to look forward to anymore and really what was there to lose now?

Kenny?

The baby?

Kenny was all she had left, they had a history and if Kenny died then truly there would be no going back, her last living link to Lee would be erased.

The baby was the only surviving relic of the cabin group. Yet she expected them to die, Kenny wasn't thinking straight and his wound looked infected and as for the baby... it was just a baby! Now that Rebecca was gone how were they meant to find it food? Stop it from crying to draw the walkers? The temperature was reaching dangerously low levels that made Clementine's hands turn blue, the baby couldn't survive in these conditions.

Fighting hard against the blizzard that pushed her back, hugging her blue jacket that Bonnie had given her, she wished now she had gloves and a scarf rather than just her old cap which couldn't cover her stinging ears, her teeth chattered as melted snow spilled into her worn shoes, with the water soaking through her socks this sent new shivers shooting up her spine.

"Just keep going, I can't disappoint Lee" she thought to herself as she lowered her head and used her cap to drill her way through the excruciating cold. Her nose began to run but she barely cared, she placed one foot in front of the other as her shoes sank deep into the snow with a squelchy crunch. She didn't dare look up as this would allow the viscous winds to slap at her face, she simply store down into the endless white earth, and it seemed to go on and on and on...

Finally (numb all over as the snow was now clinging to her jacket rather than melt) she could faintly see the outline of a building's shadow in the weak sunlight, looking up she found herself standing in front of the giant church that had dominated the outline of the town, the snow was now burying the cracked gravel that were once roads as the gales funnelled down the streets. Looking up for the first time in a while she saw Kenny tearing his way through the worsening blizzard.

"WALKERS!" He suddenly bellowed through the gales this earned Clementine's utmost attention as her head snapped to the side and sure enough the familiar cluster of rotting corpses sagged through the snow emerging from the corroded doors and distant clumps of pine trees "FUCK! WHY CAN'T THEY JUST GIVE US A FUCKING MINUTE!" She heard Kenny exclaim in rage she had to agree with him on that point.

Kenny turned and ran straight for the church door that stood ajar, as walkers were closing in from all sides, seeing no other alternative Clementine followed him into the freezing church, she entered just in time to see Kenny crush a walker's skull that was already lurking inside the church. Turning back to her he instructed "CLOSE THE DOOR!"

Wasting no time Clementine, used her numb palms to close the large wooden doors of the church, Kenny had already put down the squealing baby onto the church floor as he used both hands to lift a pew (that was thankfully not bolted to the floor) on one side, Clementine grabbed the other and using all of her remaining strength lifted it as Kenny did.

"Easy... easy..." he panted, his face shone with sweat and Clementine understood that his previous gunshot wound on his torso wasn't getting any better. Yet he held out long enough as he and Clementine placed the heavy pew in front of the church doors, after that he collapsed onto the stone floor, wheezing and coughing blood.

Clementine was exhausted, cold and miserable, she had to drag as much pews as she could to cover the large doors to the church, she had totalled three, although the moaning of the dead could still be heard as the walkers crashed themselves into the door, yet so far Clementine's barricade was holding up against them. They were safe, but that barricade would not hold out in the long term.

After she regained her breath she inspected the interior of the church with a simple sweeping gaze the large stained glass windows remained intact depicting in lavish blue's and yellow's the scenes of the last supper and pentecost. Yet despite this the rest of the church was bare and cold, the grey and brownish surfaces of stone had layers of dust building up on them. The decorations at the altar had long since been picked clean.

After a quick inspection she finally decided to check on Kenny, he was sat perched up against the wall. His face pale from either the temperature or the blood loss he had endured, Rebecca's son was still cradled in his lap, it was gurgling as Kenny smiled down at it, hearing Clementine approach he looked up his smile faded from his face. Clementine could only stare back at him, her expression fearful.

"I'm sorry darlin' I shouldn't have said those things to ya" he apologised shamefully his wide brown iris tingling with regret, Clementine felt her lips twitch upwards from the sides, despite everything that had happened Kenny was still here

"Don't worry about it" she mused, Kenny warm expression melted the cold hostility between them it was fitting that the snow on Clementine's jacket was also starting to melt in the warmer (yet still freezing) air of the church.

"It's kind of you to say that, but fuck..." he paused as his eyes rolled around the church before he spoke again "Were so fucked Clementine everyone's gone and... I don't know what to do anymore" he confessed as a loud sigh escaped from in-between his lips as he lay his head backwards on the cold church wall.

"We get to Wellington, I know we can get there Kenny" she found herself motivating him.

"We almost froze to death out there how the fuck are we gonna get all the way to Michigan?" he enquired with a leer.

Clementine wanted to smack him or give him some motivating speech about how they shouldn't give up as people that had died wanted them to go on. But Clementine couldn't say it because she could not longer believe her own words. Wellington was a fantasy, a destination at the end of a rainbow, somewhere never to be reached. There was no way a baby, a wounded man and a little girl were going to make it that far.

In the silence that hovered of them Kenny piped up "Well, if you can me and Duck could use some supplies" Clementine looked down upon the baby in his arms which was drifting into a slumber, Clementine could feel Kenny's eyes resting upon her and awaiting some sort of response.

"That's a nice name" she eventually said.

"I know it ain't my kid Clem, but it's the only hope I have in this shitty world, with Sarita gone and Duck and Kajtaa... I just wanted just one little part of the past back if that makes any sense" he explained to her. Clementine found herself agreeing with him before he even finished that sentence.

"I would do anything to go back and see Lee again, or Carley, or Omid, Christa and Luke, Nick, Sarah and Rebecca... I miss them all" her last words came out as a whisper.

To Clementine dismay, there was nothing in the church, no food, no blankets, not even a pile of scarp to scavenge. The building was striped bare, which explained the lack of walkers within it as no former survivor would stop in a empty building for a long period of time. She even resorted to Jane's method of searching the corpse of the walker Kenny had killed earlier yet she found nothing on it. Kenny had already fallen asleep with the baby in his arms so Clementine didn't have to break the disappointing news to him.

Her eyes weary, and with her stomach rumbling and crippling her with hunger pains the only thing that Clementine could do was lie on the floor to the church, curled up into a tiny ball as the blizzard raged outside, the deathly black night had fallen and Clementine needed some well needed rest, yet that was hard when her hunger kept her awake.

She soon found herself sobbing silently as each face of the dead passed through her mind, from the recently deceased like Nick and Sarah to the blurrier memoires of Carley or Kajtaa she prayed in her head "Please let me see them again, Please" she felt as hollow as the church she resided in as she drifted off into a trouble fuelled sleep, those that had died because of her and the ever present grief she had for Lee warped her dreams into nightmares.

Clementine awoke to a loud crashing, she looked up and saw the stain glass window at the front of the church had been shattered as large shards spilt on the floor, alarmed she heard the banging on the church doors was louder than ever as she stood up straight.

"Ken...!" she began to alert him but she saw he was already alert. Heaving in front of the altar as his hand was outstretched, his body tense. Clementine could only hazard a guess what he had threw but he had knowing his temper.

"What's wrong?" she asked running up to him, but she already knew the answer as she gazed sadly upon the bundle on the pew nearby, it wasn't moving, it had gone completely still.

"Oh no" Clementine murmured feeling yet another blow to her already weak stomach.

"Duck's gone" Kenny sobbed, he turned to face her. Kenny was deathly pale now, the blood from his eye and the wound on torso were burning a bright crimson colour, his remaining eye was sunken, he was breathing heavily as open tears ran down his clammy cheeks. His voice reduced to a broken, grovelly mess.

As Clementine let this sink in she heard the door behind her burst open, the wind and a large horde of walkers were already stumbling towards them.

"WE HAVE TO GO!" She yelled taking his hand into her smaller one yet when she tried to move him he remained rooted to the spot.

His next words haunted Clementine, making her bones quiver.

_"It's over Clementine" _

She couldn't reply the walkers were drawing nearer, she could only stand there in shock until she saw Kenny step forward and that was when she found her voice.

"Don't do this Kenny, you're all I have left" she was crying openly now her grief couldn't be put into words.

"Just Go Clem, I want to go out fighting these fuckers"

She wanted to scream, to slap him to his senses, yet the nearest walker was mere meters away, she didn't even get to say her last words to him, she simply ducked under his arm and headed towards the opening that the shattered window provided. She heard a few gunshots to see Kenny already swarmed by 3 or 4 walkers as he used the last of his bullets to coat the church walls a ruby red.

"FOR SARTIA...!" He bellowed.

He fought on but Clem's world collapsed when he saw the first walker bite his wrist.

"KAJTAA!" He screamed, as flecks of blood flew from his mouth.

The horde was now beginning to obscure him from view, as they hissed and ripped away Kenny's flesh... the man that had survived so much...

"LEE!" He shouted through his blood drenched teeth as he fell to the floor, the walkers ripping veins from his neck as they pulled his entrails out onto the empty floor, yet despite all of this he still had one last death cry.

"DUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK!"

The heartbreaking cry was cut short as Kenny choked on his own blood and the dead moved in, ripping him to shreds as they devoured Clementine's last friend. There was no one left, no going back now.

With a heart to heavy to move she had to tear her eyes away from Kenny's gory end and leapt out of the window into a freezing cold night.

_She was now completely and utterly alone._


	4. All The Dead Lie Down

Clementine hadn't averted her eyes back too the hulking silhouette of the church as she the sharp shards of snow slashed at her face as she trudged her way through (the now) fully raging blizzard, she couldn't hear or see anything within 5 feet, ducking her head so that her cap endured the full gales of deathly winds that threatened to blow her back to the church.

She couldn't die.

She fought on through the winds, using one of her exposed hands to shield her face as the snow piled onto the creases and folds in her jacket and cracks in her fingers, gritting her teeth she mentally urged herself to keep moving, to keep fighting in a world that seemed hell bent of blowing her back, a world so hell bent on breaking and destroying her, yet she would continue to fight against it as Lee had instructed her.

"You gotta be strong sweet pea" She vividly remembered Lee telling her.

She clung onto that memory like a security blanket, fuelling her burning ambition to go on, a fire in her...

_"So bright, bright enough to shine in all this darkness..." _

She wondered why she was thinking of Carver's words now, he was demented psychopath.

_"Were more alike than you think" _

Stealing from Arvo, leaving Sarah to die, was that really any different from Carver killing Reggie? Or abducting her group and making them prisoners? These chilling thoughts causing her to quiver more than cold ever could.

_"No shepherd to guide you, lambs to the slaughter" _

These two phrases were bobbing in Clementine's head refusing to, of all things she should have been thinking about, of Kenny, Lee or even the baby the only thing that kept cropping up in her mind were Carver's gravelly phrases spat at her and her group in malice. Yet every time the "Lambs to the slaughter" kept replaying in her head it came with still images of Sarah's gruesome end and her heartbroken screams for her father. Nick trapped on the fence, his eyes lifeless and his skin cold. Bonnie, Mike and Luke, slaughtered like pigs, and finally Kenny... ripped to pieces.

_"Lambs to the slaughter" _

It seemed like a empty threat at the time, but everything Carver had said had come true, those weaker than her had all been slaughtered like hunks of disposable meat and here she was, having caused the deaths of half these people yet she was still here.

Alive and running on an autopilot of adrenaline.

Clementine's determination to live on was only based on the frantic events that occurred during the night, in a strange way it was enthralling for her, she was the lone survivor battling through the blizzard while fleeing from walkers. No matter how much her body ached and screamed in protest for her to stop and rest she knew she had too keep on moving because stopping and resting at night, in the middle of nowhere with nothing to sleep on other than blankets of snow was a move to guarantee her a slow and painful death from hypothermia.

Yet as the gamboge sun rose shyly peeked over the crystal white horizon Clementine realised it barely made any difference, the blizzard may have died down through the night but her clothes were soaked through and through. Bonnie's jacket for Clementine had not kept her warm as Bonnie had promised it would.

"Dang it" she muttered through chattering teeth, as she tried to warm two ice blocks that were meant to resemble hands by rubbing them against her jacket, yet this barely made any difference as all the feeling from her hands and her feet had throbbed out of existence leaving her concerned as Luke had explained her days prior the effects of hypothermia.

Luke...

She tried hard not to think about him, or his smiling kindly face, it would only distract her, never the less her body screamed for rest as the bags over her eyes had grown to heavy to lift, each limb was aching dully as her heart hammered painfully on her ribcage, finally she stumbled up to the base of a small tree and simply leaned onto and collapsed slowly to the floor as she tried to catch her breath.

"It's so damn cold" she muttered as puffs of vapour rose between her eyes, she watched them slowly fade into the still morning air, like all of her friends, they were present one second and next second they were gone and fading into the heavens above her...

"No, I can't think about them now" she found herself stating, yet the more she tried to push the grief down into her gut the heavier it got. Jane was right.

_"Their all going to die Clementine, don't let them drag you down with them" _

She wouldn't allow it, as she focused her bright hazel eyes on the area around her, the town she had fled from the previous night was no where in sight on the horizon instead she found herself surrounded by the half black and white trunks protruding from the layers of snow that were building up. Sighing she checked her supplies, the nail file Jane had given her, the screwdriver, her photo of Lee and her small pistol which she loaded (with shaky hands) with the three bullets she found from the walker corpse.

And finally Sarah's glasses.

She was alarmed when she gazed back at them it was almost as if she could see the kindly girl's glowing bronze orbs behind these rose tinted lenses as they widened in fear or excitement. Clementine didn't know how to react, she simply found herself chucking them to the floor with so much force that they spilt in the middle leaving them broken in the snow.

Without another look back, she stood up shakily and proceeded through the morning.

"Find supplies, head north to Wellington, stay calm" That was Christa's motto after they had first heard about Wellington via several scribbled notes of graffiti and seeing as she was alone once again she had to stick by that code. She had meet her old friend, she had met some good people but ultimately they all died leaving her alone once again, she wasn't expecting two more random strangers to save her from the wilderness in a forest and take her back to group of good-hearted people in a warm cabin, with supplies and protection.

She tried her very hardest to remain calm, but it was if the environment was designed to go on forever in the same pattern as tree, after tree after tree cropped in front of her. No walkers, no buildings, not even the hum of animals or the presence of animals to comfort her in the slightest, at least if there was a walker around she could kill it and take whatever supplies it had, but out here after a couple of hours of aimless drifting with the faces of the dead dragging her down, lower and lower into a depression she had fought so hard not the succumb too.

_"What's the point? We'll just march off to some new place and someone else will die" _

Nick's suicidal tendencies were alien to her at the time, besides he still had his best friend Luke and the rest of the cabin group to comfort him, then again the more she thought about it when she lost Lee if Christa and Omid hand't found her could she have kept on going? If Lee hadn't told her too keep going maybe that wouldn't been the case. Nick never got a chance to say goodbye to Pete, instead he simply watched his uncle (he may as well as been his father) get devoured by the walkers right in front of him.

In a similar manner to the ways Kenny, Luke, Bonnie and Mike had been slaughtered in front of her.

All these statements she found herself disagreeing with weeks ago, yet she now knew she didn't oppose them. She simply didn't understand them, now she understood what could motive people to say these things. How desperate Carver was to keep a community together that he'd kill the weakest link to avoid being in the situation Clementine was in now. Strong people left alone with the weights of the weaker dead pulling them down. She understood Nick's depression more clearly and Jane's wise words of advice, everything rang true...

She fought for so long against the overwhelming depression, but now with her head dizzy from dehydration and hunger, her limbs failing due to hypothermia, fatigue threatening to send her into a slumber on a death bed of ice. No towns or shelters in sight, not knowing if she was even ploughing north to Wellington.

She finally snapped.

"SHIT!" She screamed rawly as the tears that she had been holding back for so long burst out in a torrent from her black rimmed eyelids. She sank to the ground as she buried her face in her none working hands, as she wept like the 8 year old girl she was before all this, the hardened survivor dissolving in a heap. All she could think about was the dead and she needed a shoulder to cry on. A voice of motivation that wasn't her own, but Kenny was gone. The new hope that was the baby had died due to the lack food no doubt (or the temperature).

Clementine looked up to little to late.

The walker must have heard her loud sobbing and her bellowed curse as a rotting murky black walker with the shredded remains of a police uniform towered over her. Clementine noticed the remains of a broken chain on it's ankle yet she didn't react fast enough and lacked the strength she had gained from food or previous motivation, the walker crashed down onto her, before she could even comprehend how it happened.

The walker lifted it's rotting hand and dug down into Clementine's stomach, she could only watch in horror as her own intestines were pulled from her body, gasping in pain as she felt layers of warm blood rise in her throat, she lifted the nail file Jane had given her as she watched the walker munch away at her guts as he pulled them further out of her body.

SPLAT!

She brought her hand and the file easily pierced the walkers skull, it jaw went lack as it slumped motionless on top of her, to weak to pull the file from it's skull she simply rolled the heavy body off her which zapped the last of energy as she finally assessed the situation.

The lone walker had done it. He had killed her. She was bleeding out and it had bitten her innards so she was going to be coming back as one of them.

She could no longer cry the pain was too great, she only had time to reach for the gun in her pocket, and place it towards her head, her hands may have been numb but she knew they could fulfil the simple task of pulling the trigger.

_"I'm not gonna stick around and watch that happen to you too"_

Why was Jane always right, it was annoying.

Yet as she placed the photo of Lee in front of her she felt a strange peace come over her form, she didn't have to worry about survival any more. She didn't have to worry about being tough and although it hurt that she had failed to stay alive she knew she had tried her hardest.

Now she wanted to go sleep.

She smiled as she thought about all the people she would be united with once again, yet there was always one who would stick out for her. One who stood above the rest.

_"Take me back"_ she begged of any sort of higher force listening, but mostly to Lee's photo.

She wanted him to be the last thing he ever saw in this misery filled world she took a deep breath and closed her eyes Lee's image imprinted into her mind, her hand shook as she remembered how she had to shoot him.

_"Eventually it will be our turn" _

And it was her turn at last, as the final tears leaked from her eyes she gave on a brave smile as she uttered her last words.

"I'm sorry Lee"

With the last of willpower, she felt her finger pull the trigger.

Everything went black.

The final thing she felt was the pain throbbing from her stomach.


	5. In Harm's Way Once Again

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far guys and keep them coming! I really love hearing your opinions on this story!**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- These opening four chapters are built up to show what could happen and yeah it's kinda sad but I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint as Clementine's story is far from over.**

**vampirefeem- Glad you like it, and I'm open to any suggestions at any time it might influence what happens in this story or too the characters etc... as I take feedback into account.**

**Rebloxic, ****heidipoo****and ShadowCub- Thanks for the feedback! **

**Onwards this goes, this is probably an unusual place for Clementine to start over but I have big plans in mind as the first two episodes sat well with me, but in episodes 3 and 4 is where the problem began... so here it goes I hope you like it! **

* * *

_The final thing she felt was the pain throbbing through her stomach._

_The first thing she felt was the pain throbbing through her stomach._

Clementine's sparkling hazel eyes fluttered open, the fields of snow were gone, Lee's face was gone instead she was looking at the beady cruel black eyes of Troy.

Troy?

For a moment Clementine couldn't speak, her eyes gazing at her surroundings within two seconds she came to the conclusion that she back in her bed, in the pen in Howard's hardware... but how...?

"Get up" Troy snapped once again, irritated by the 11 year old's frosty silence, he would not stand for that sort of disobedience from a puny little bitch with a stinking attitude.

Clementine realised the pain in her stomach was merely Troy kicking it to get her awake, bad but not on the scale of having it ripped open, she raised her head slowly barely able to believe what had happened to her. Had it all been a dream? She turned to Troy and repeated the words she spat at him last time.

"Don't kick me" she snapped in the face of the rifle he had trained on her face.

"Get up, Bill's wants to have a word" he replied smugly as he did the first time.

Clementine didn't want to believe it, she was dead, or in heaven or something... yet she doubted any God could be cruel enough to stick her in a heaven with Troy of all people and Troy wasn't looking like any sort of cherub either, he was still wearing the same scowling face and still retained his status as an "asshole" he had been the first time.

To explore further she got from her steel like bunk and looked towards the shutter just as it opened as Carver walked out.

Carver.

Clementine shouldn't have done, she really shouldn't have done, but she couldn't help it, she was _happy_ Carver was alive, hell she was even glad to see Troy's face again.

"Have I really sunk to this?" She thought to herself as she walked across the stone floor towards him. Had she really gotten that worked up over a stupid dream to believe she would actually anticipate seeing Carver and Troy again? Had the her dream descend into such depths that...

No, it was no dream.

She wanted to dismiss it as a dream, but there was simply no way she dreamed up what occurred in the next few days and remember every detail, she felt the physical pain, she knew what it was like to have her stomach ripped open. She knew the pain of being alone when everyone else was dead, she knew the effects of hypothermia first hand.

She knew what it was like to lose the will to live.

She shuddered before realising that her blue jacket wasn't on her, her dirty purple shirt stretched across her torso as the faint cold winds still made her shiver slightly, yet she still felt very strange without the familiar comfy coat draped over her shoulders, she felt like she had been wearing it for years.

Yet here she was. It wasn't here yet, it wasn't...

Her train of thought on her jacket was jammed as she realised (just before she sighted them) that if her jacket wasn't here and Troy and Carver were alive then surely...

Her eyes rested on Kenny first who was stood by Sarita, both of them looked tall and strong. Kenny with both eyes still intact and Sarita gazing calmly ahead of her, the haunting images of them being ripped apart still lingered in her memory making her gasp slightly before she moved towards them a warm sense of relief crashing through her being.

She also spotted several more of her friends, Rebecca, still heavily pregnant bathed in her bright blue shirt, her face filled with a healthy dark tinge rather than the pale and gaunt face that gazed back up at her as a walker. Yet her thin eyebrows were furrowed downwards in anger as she shot daggers at Carver, no doubt over Alvin's death back at the ski-resort.

Nick was there with his cap perched on his head, Clementine remembered seeing how messy and greasy his hair was underneath his cap when she had to bash his brains out, strangely enough she would have liked to see him like that when he was alive too, as his strong blue eyes were locked upon Carver a neutral expression on his face, which was certainly better than seeing him as a walker stuck to a fence like a fly on Velcro.

Reggie was still alive, beaming shyly at Carver, Clementine remembered (with a heavy heart) that this was his last day alive.

Or was it?

Carlos watched Carver with a calm expression, and next to him was none other than the friendly faced Sarah, she took her place next to her in the line next to Sarah as Carver began his speech in an identical manner than he had done the first time...

"...Reggie you're almost back in, keep following the path and we'll welcome you back with open arms..." Carver was saying to Reggie who was wearing the expression of an overexcited schoolboy.

"How did you sleep?" Sarah asked Clementine suddenly, Carver shot a glare their way, obviously silencing Sarah, however the second he turned away Clementine realised she had to shut her up for her own sake to avoid the smack she was about to receive (and possibly saving Reggie in the process)

"Just shut up Sarah" Clementine hissed at her, it was safe to say she had not had a very good night's sleep.

"Well you don't have to been mean about it..." Sarah whined a little too loudly with a hurt expression on her face, Clementine still couldn't get her head around her situation or how she was back here so when Carver bellowed "CARLOS!" she didn't jump like everyone else did as she expected that response from him and she knew what was coming.

"... your daughter seems in need of correcting..."

Sarah's meek and stuttering apology to Carver wasn't going to "cut it" so Clementine had to watch (once again) as Carlos had to smack his own daughter across the face as she tumbled violently to the floor, sobbing heavily and holding her swollen cheek.

Clementine was too busy thinking, (although her eyes were trained onto the scene) she would have to try and change events, she didn't know how she had been sent back. Had her final request to Lee's photo _"Take me back"_ actually had an effect? Did she have a dream that saw the future? She knew she'd never have an answer to as why or how.

What mattered is that she acted on what she knew, she had a leaflet in her mind on what was going to happen in the next few days, if she wanted to avoid her own end among all of her friends she had to act correctly. But what could she do?

Before she knew it, Tavia was in front of her "You're in the armoury, follow me" she instructed coldly, following the chubby woman Clementine had barely taken three steps before a pile of soil suddenly exploded by her feet, as she looked up in shock finding Jane looking back down at her.

She forgot about this occurring in fact she forgot about Jane, maybe this time she could get Jane to stick around. Jane was a much needed member of the group even if the lone wolf didn't realise it, Clementine knew she would have to keep her close at hand.

But how? How was she avoid the deaths to follow? Sarah was still sobbing on the floor, bruised and traumatized just as she was beforehand. How would she get them both to do enough work in the greenhouse now to save Reggie?

The questions weighed on her mind, as Tavia shouted "Clementine!" sharply, with no other choice Clementine ran forward ready to make things right.

This was her miracle, her second chance, she wasn't going to screw this up.


	6. Making Friends

**A/N: Thanks for the continued support guys! **

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Another Sarah fan! I admit I found her annoying but there was so much potential for her character (along with Nick's), I was angered by their deaths in the games, because Nick wasn't even given final words and what was the point of teaching Sarah to shoot if she was going to die anyway without putting up a fight? Just my thoughts but I do have big plans for these two in the story, and I planning to keep Clem/Sarah as a strong friendship. **

**AquaDestinyEmbrace- Like I said to Obsessed naruhina fangirl Sarah and Nick will play bigger roles in this story and I have lots of plans in store for them. **

**Vampirereem- Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.**

**Alardem- Yep I went with the selfish Clementine route in Episode 4, I thought that was her best bet of survival. **

**And thanks everybody else for leaving your reviews, now I'll get on with the story... **

* * *

"Ugh, whose this?" came a sullen female voice, turning around Clementine got a twinge of Deja Vu seeing the messy haired girl about her age or a little older glaring directly at her, as a taller woman stood behind the glowering teen.

"That's the new girl, she came here with Sarah's..." the tall woman began before she was cut off with an impatient grunt.

"Ugh Sarah, I wish she'd stayed gone" The smaller girl snapped in distaste.

"She's had a hard time Becca..." the taller woman tried to explain to the angry teenager.

"So?" The girl named Becca demanded of her "It's been hard on us all, but were not all sitting on the ground like babies..."

Walking past them Clementine was now beginning to think more openly, these other people scattered around Carver's camp. Were they all as bad as Troy and Carver? She knew Bonnie was a kind soul and that other woman seemed to stick up for Sarah, maybe Bonnie knew these people. But if she did why didn't they come with her the first time? Were they all really this bad?

"Go inside,Bonnie's waiting" Tavia instructed with a voice of ice reminding Clementine of the fields of it she would face in the near future, the fields of ice where she would die...

No. Not today.

Tavia swung open the door and sure enough Bonnie looked up at her with her deep blue iris' just as she had done beforehand, "Hey, so I guess y'all starting your day with me" she muttered awkwardly in an apologetic tone that already reeked of Bonnie's longing for forgiveness from her. Clementine took her seat silently next to Bonnie as she picked up a round of bullets.

"Were loadin' magazines" she stated as she began her task, sure enough Clementine followed her example and the familiar compliment floated to her ears.

"Well that's it, you got it"

Clementine gave her the cold shoulder, knowing full well how effective this was the first time and sure enough the silence was finally enough to trigger Bonnie to blurt out her guilt and sorrow...

"I suppose I owe you an apology, I wasn't exactly truthful with you when I came across y'all at the lodge, and I was shown a kindness I never would have expected from a group of strangers, but now folks are dead... and I can't help but feel as If I'm to blame..."

"A lot of people are too blame, not just you" Clementine told her, last time she had been much more harsh with Bonnie, causing her to lash out in defence, this time she needed to ensure she could get Bonnie as close to her as possible and Clementine was not only planning to use her as the source of escape from Carver's camp. Bonnie would soon be her only ally outside of the pen. She was a vital player to how things would transpire.

How things could change.

"It's awful nice of y'all to say that, but I know a lot of this is my fault, but I just want you to know that I regret my part in all of this..."

"It's okay, I understand I don't think anybody wanted it to turn out the way it did" Clementine told her accepting her apology fully as Bonnie smiled openly at her "Well I'm glad you understand..." she began before diving into how she wanted to originally escape with Luke and Carlos, Clementine asked her why she didn't follow them and she repeated her words from last time about how she "chickened out".

Tavia hadn't called Clementine up to the greenhouses yet, with a bated breath Clementine quickly asked another question she hadn't asked the first time.

"Hey Bonnie, do you know a girl called Becca?" she asked.

"Why Becca? Yeah, I came here with her, along with Shel, Vince, Wyatt and Russell when Tavia scouted us out months back..."

"Really?" Clementine asked intrigued, she never knew this before and why had Bonnie had decided to leave her original group behind?

"Yeah, there all really nice people, well Becca and Russell are a bit cranky but..." Bonnie began explaining with a dreary smile as she remembered the antics of her group back at the campsite "...There are a lot of good people Clementine you'll be out that pen before you know it" Bonnie mused.

_"Yeah right"_ Clementine thought sarcastically, yet know she had information she had not obtained beforehand, she prodded Bonnie with the next question "So, these people aren't like Carver?"

"Carver's a good man Clementine, his just..." she sighed before continuing "...it's not easy keeping a group this big fed and protected I reckon that would make anybody a little stressed" however after this she caught Clementine's intense glare "I ain't defending what he did!" she yelled in defence of him "That was..."

"Sounds like you really respect him" Clementine uttered cutting her short.

_"All I know, is that I'm alive because of him..." _

_Clementine dismissed this words the first time as complete madness, however if Carver could have saved Bonnie and saved a group this big... maybe her group could be saved by him too._

Just as the walkie Talkie buzzed into life and Tavia's curt voice flew through the room, Clementine realised what she needed to do. It was drastic, it was most likely not going to work.

But it was gamble she was willing to take to save everyone.

Bonnie conversation with Tavia ended, as the redhead suddenly remembered about the jacket she had picked up earlier "Oh yeah, almost forgot I found this for you..."

Clementine slid into the familiar blue jacket, at first she thought she looked ridiculous in it, however now she was more than happy to have it draped on her skinny shoulders, as it seemed brand new without the layers of blood and snow engrained into it's creases, she knew this fresh jacket was symbolism for a fresh start.

"Well what do you think?" Bonnie asked.

"I like it" Clementine answered.

"Thought you would, you know I'd be careful, some people may be jealous of that cool jacket of yours" Bonnie smiled as she stared back down at her own murky orange and greenish jacket and shirt, she was thinking about a clothing change herself.

"Could you maybe try and get me gloves and a scarf too, because It's only get colder in the pen" Clementine begged with her puppy dog eyes, if a hardened survivor like Molly couldn't resist them in Savannah then Bonnie didn't have a chance in hell, surely enough her face softened as she muttered "I'll see what I can find city mouse"

"Thank you" Clementine muttered sweetly, being a little girl had it's advantages.

The door opened and Tavia walked in with drooping eyelids "Hey, what's with the ugly jacket?" she asked shooting one loathsome glare at bright blue thing.

"Tavia...!" Bonnie snapped humorously.

"What?" the chubby woman enquired.

"Nothing, just... I'll see you later Clementine" Bonnie told her as Clementine followed Tavia outside the door, now certain she had Bonnie wrapped around her little finger, looking ahead she only found herself staring at the back of Tavia's jacket, why not try with everyone?

"Bonnie told me you scouted her and some others out" she began as a way to start conversation.

"Yeah, it's my job, it gets more dangerous with each passing day and we don't find a lot of people anymore" Tavia responded in a business like tone as they headed up the stairs to the roof. "Are you mad at my group for running away?" she asked, a dangerous question but Clementine had too ask it, to try and get on friendly terms with this woman.

"You're in a group full of idiots Clementine and if you'd just surrendered Johnny and Alvin wouldn't be dead, if you want to save your friends I suggest you shut up and work" She snapped at the 11 year old, as Clementine approached the greenhouse with knots building in her stomach as she knew what was coming. Could she stop it? And if she couldn't...

"Do you respect Carver?" She quickly asked Tavia, as they stood meters from the entrance of the greenhouse.

"You're asking too many questions, just get in there" Tavia snapped, as she opened the greenhouse door.

Clementine entered already hearing Sarah's sobbing from the corner of the greenhouse noticing something...

_Tavia hadn't said "Yes". _


	7. A Long Way To Progress

**A/N: Again thanks for all the support guys I always try and get this updated as fast as possible**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- I can't ruin it for you on which direction this story's taking, but I appreciate your long reviews and thoughts it really motives me to write more and most of your opinions I do agree with although this story isn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows it will be different. **

**Rebloxic- Your wish is my command, course I'll update! And thanks for the feedback! **

**Martial Arts Master - I'm Male and I like her too although most people I've spoken to about her found her annoying and a burden on the group. However I fully agree with your opinion on Sarah being made a one sided liability character when there was so much potential beneath the surface. Episode 2 (which was the best of the season by a mile) showed us that by having us teach her how to shoot. The writers of Ep 3 helped to develop her more, but in Ep 4 they completely screwed her character over making our decisions to save and help her useless. It rubbed me up the wrong way as well. **

** Anyway on we go...**

* * *

Peering over the lush green stalks of vegetation, Clementine slowly crept over to where she found Sarah curled into a ball in one of the corners of the greenhouse sobbing heavily, her cheek still a painful crimson colour that spread across the cheek of teenage Hispanic girl.

"Hey" Clementine said wearily approaching her, exactly as things had transpired the first time Sarah didn't reply still rocking back and forth like a five year old who had been locked in a dark closet who was trying to retain their sanity, Clementine knew that Sarah meant well and she didn't think she could watch the girl get ripped apart once again. It was simply too painful for her and caused something to switch off inside of Clementine too, something she didn't even know was there.

"I know it hurts but you gotta be tough" Clementine said kneeling next to the girl , Sarah continued to cry, the tears still pouring from her wooden brown eyes

"My Dad never hit me before" she muttered blankly, not looking at Clementine but at the floor, only then she seemed to realise that Clementine was there as she looked up at the younger girl, her eyes popping from her head as she spoke to Clementine in an almost pleading tone...

"I mean even when I was really bad he never hit me"

"Carver's the bad guy here, not your dad, Carver made him hit you and Troy would have been a lot worse" Clementine explained calmly to Sarah.

"Thanks, I know you were only trying to help and I know I should have been quiet when you told me too" Sarah uttered.

Now this was slightly different from what she was saying the first time, did Sarah have a tad bit more respect for Clementine? If this was true then Clementine's plan for the day was improving drastically.

"I shouldn't have said it so meanly..." Clementine responded with her puppy dog eyes...

"No, It was my fault, but... I just don't get why people have to be so mean, you know? I mean even when I'm really mad I don't want to hurt anyone" she explained to Clementine.

"There a lot of people who want to hurt us Sarah, I don't get it either but that's just the way it is now" Clementine said.

"I don't like it, like this" Sarah whined her head drooping to the floor.

"I don't either but I can help you, remember what I told you about shooting people back at the cabin?" Clementine asked.

This invested Sarah's interest but before Clementine could explain, the door to the greenhouse creaked open as Reggie strolled in.

"Don't mess this up" Tavia snapped.

"Yeah, yeah I got it" Reggie reassured her, as Clementine closed her eyes tight as she felt her stomach swirl uncomfortably, yet she had to do this to ensure her stomach would remain simply swirling uncomfortably and not ripped open right in front of eyes. The door closed with a fore boarding thud as Reggie turned the face the two girls, Sarah stood up timidly in his presence as he smiled shyly back at the two girls in front of him.

"Okay girls we have a really simple job today, grab those clippers on the table..."

They did so as Reggie rabbled on, about how to pick fresh leaves from the plants Clementine tried hard not to listen to his endless instructions on how to "clip off the dead leaves for composting..." because she knew what would become of him in less than a hour or two, or would he...?

No, Sarah was still gazing absently mindedly at her reflection in the metal on the clippers, no doubt still scarred by the earlier event, but Clementine didn't expect (after a minute of conversation) to get her up and jolly again and able to complete her task.

"Hey so is she gonna be okay?" Reggie asked of Clementine awkwardly as Sarah's silence and lack of even a nod to Reggie's instructions had him worried about the lack of work she would do, hence landing him into hot water with Carver a position he did not want to find himself in after he had worked so far to get this position, to get out of that pen and finally...

"Yeah, I'll help her, don't worry" Clementine reassured him firmly, seeing the determined look in her eye filled Reggie with a positive sense of reassurance as he boomed a jolly "Great" in glee. Then (in one of his weirdest bursts of excitement and gratitude) he patted the top of Clementine's weathered cap three times.

Clementine looked up at him oddly.

"Okay, that was awkward, I won't do that again... I'm... gonna go work now" he muttered mortified proceeding to the back of the greenhouse, the one armed man in a very good mood indeed.

Clementine was surprised he had completely overlooked the fact that she said she'd help Sarah, she didn't say anything about doing her own work. Sighing she proceeded towards Sarah almost instantly, noticing someone standing by her, Sarah looked down at the 11 year old girl she had grown so fond off during the past couple of days.

"Here" Clementine began kindly helping her to cut the leaves from her plants and place them into the correct bowls.

The first time Clementine was helping Sarah with this she mentally screaming in frustration about how slow and useless Sarah was at such a mundane task, however seeing the determined outcome anyhow she decided that rather than make this an hour or two of silent work she would use it too her advantage.

"You know what I said about shooting people earlier?" she brought up once again.

"Yeah" Sarah asked nervously not liking where this was going.

"You know to just keep shooting them, not in the head, but anywhere" Clementine explained.

"I don't want to shoot people" Sarah thought aloud.

"You have too Sarah especially if there going to attack you, do you want to die? Do you want your dad to die?" she inquired.

"No!" Sarah shouted panicked, yet Clementine could see her point was clearly made to the bespectacled girl.

"But it would still be scary" Sarah added as an afternote.

"Maybe, If we get the chance I can teach you how to shoot better" Clementine offered in which Sarah's face lit up.

"Yeah! I like that! I just want to help the others, but no one tells me anything!" Sarah puffed letting her frustrations from her chest.

"I know they want to protect you Sarah, but you have to learn, what if something happens and you're alone and in trouble?"

"I tried telling my dad that once, but he said that would never happen..."

"GIRLS ARE YOU WORKING OVER THERE!?" Reggie shouted through the chit chat.

"Yeah" Clementine shouted back as Reggie grew silent, after this Clementine and Sarah conversed in lower tones.

"I can help you Sarah, I can teach you all the things Lee taught me" Clementine told her.

"Whose Lee?" Sarah asked genuinely confused on who he was, Clementine suddenly felt something get trapped in her throat as the memories of Lee came flooding back, but rather than pause and cry, she pulled out the photo of Lee that was glued into her trouser pocket and held it for Sarah to see, pride flooding back into her being.

"This was Lee Everett, he was a convicted murderer" Clementine began.

"H-he killed someone? He was a murderer!?" Sarah squeaked staring at the photo in utter horror.

"But he was the greatest man I ever met" Clementine continued in the same unwavering tone "He taught me how to survive, he taught me how to keep my hair short so walkers wouldn't grab it."

Sarah suddenly found herself inspecting her own bushy hair.

"That's smart" Sarah said.

"Lee liked to use that phrase too" Clementine noted sadly "Before he killed someone he worked as a teacher"

"He must have been super clever then" Sarah mused.

"He was, he taught me all I needed to know" Clementine remembered sadly "We went through so much together" she muttered.

"How did you first meet him?" Sarah asked.

Clementine drew in a deep breath, ready to begin her story all over again in vivid detail,

"My parents left me with a babysitter..."

It was safe to say that nearly an hour and a half later, Sarah was hooked on Clementine's tale, "This is way more interesting than the gurgles" she thought in awe, as Clementine described vividly the characters of Doug, and Carley, Kajtaa, Duck, Lilly, Larry...

She gasped when Doug's demise at the drug store came "But couldn't Lee save them both?" Sarah asked in horror. "No, he could only save Carley we tried to get to Doug but it was already too late..."

"I still say that old man sounded really mean" Sarah commented.

"He was just looking out for his daughter like your dad looks out for you" Clementine explained.

Sarah never thought of that, her face shone with a sense of realism that Clementine had not seen before, filling her in on this tale was a good thing she could tell, she had just reached the revelation on the 's being cannibals which earned her a horrified "They can't have been eating people! That's gross! That's horrible!" response from Sarah, before Reggie interrupted their chat.

"You didn't do any of your work Clem!" he exclaimed as molten white hot panic soared through his veins as he looked at her untouched bowls in comparison to Sarah's that were full to the brim.

There was no time for Clementine to reply, Carver opened the door before she could speak, she gulped, her tale dying in her throat.

"Just came to see how they new girl's were doing..." his mean green eyes swept from Clementine and Sarah standing on one side of the room with full bowls with the empty side of the room with empty bowls, a simple task messed up...

"Reggie" Carver growled.

"Yeah... Hi Bill" Reggie began nervously.

"What the fuck is this?" he spat.

"I... well there new and... me with my arm... it's just not..." he began to babble.

"No, just shut up, shut up, just shut the fuck up" Carver sharply interpreted him, as Reggie deflated into a hopeless heap before Clementine's eyes.

"It was my fault, I promised him I'd help Sarah and..." Clementine interjected quickly knowing it would come to no avail, despite her extended response Carver's response was the same.

"Nah, it ain't your fault" his voice as hard as the grit you found stockpiled at the sides of roads.

He continued to glare at Reggie who couldn't look his leader in the eye.

"Girls, why don't you wait outside me and Reggie need to have a chat here" he instructed them coldly.

Sarah and Clementine shuffled out of the greenhouse silently Reggie's last words to her drifted to her ears "Thanks for the help girls" she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or serious.

The door closed, Sarah began to panic praying something bad wasn't going to occur as Carver scared her to a great degree, noticing her friend pacing off towards the edge of the roof Clementine approached her slowly as Sarah tried to calm down by gazing at the indigo sky and brushes of faint white clouds beyond the endless hills of pine trees.

"Sarah..." she begun before the door crashed open behind her, Reggie was pleading "NO! BILL NO! PLEASE!" Clementine ran forwards as Sarah froze at the sight of this violent encounter, Carver was shoving him mercilessly towards the edge of the roof. "I GIVE YOU ONE JOB AND YOU FUCK IT UP! Carver bellowed as (with a final shove) Reggie went tumbling from the roof and landed with a sickening splat onto the cold grey gravel below. Clearly dead and still as blood oozed from his neck.

Clemetine was still shocked by how fast it had happened as she looked down upon Reggie's lifeless body.

"Weakness, incompetence, it puts us all at risk, remember that the next time your asked to do a job"

Clementine would remember that indeed, she looked back at Sarah as Carver turned to them both.

"Go on downstairs Bonnie's got some stuff for you to do" He instructed Clementine, she already headed off in the direction of the rusty red door, Sarah's eyes were widened in panic but Clementine's stern stare gave her a bit of comfort.

"I mean the world's not all good, Clementine's had a lot of bad stuff happen to her, you need to be strong for her Sarah" she urged herself so even when Carver approached her she tried her hardest to keep a straight face.

Mere feet away, Clementine may have still been shook up but she knew what was coming. She could have saved Reggie, but really she barely knew Reggie, his death shook her but did not destroy her as her new found friends deaths would. Reggie's death wouldn't be in vain, because this would be Carver's downfall.

Murdering an innocent and likeable man because he was "weak" some people in this camp may have agreed with that logic.

Others, like Bonnie would finally see Carver for what he was and this death was what drove her to distrust him in the first place, this distrust and Carver's dictatorship like behaviour would ultimately be his downfall.

As she descended the steps back to Bonnie, she also smiled because when she was speaking to Sarah about her past it didn't feel like she was planning anything, she felt like she could finally and fully open up to a true friend, her sympathy and reaction to her story was all she needed and she liked friends who could listen.

She reached the ground floor, readjusting the cap on her head.

"Here we go" she muttered nervously.

These next events would be the biggest and most risky parts of her plan.


	8. A Tough Choice

**A/N: So I'm going to keep this short and sweet.**

**I appreciate everyone's reviews and intrigue over where this story is going and really hearing all that is what motives me to keep writing, so keep your thoughts rolling in and I'll take them all into consideration! **

**P.S Obsessed naruhina fangirl you stay awesome with your reviews, and I'll do too (I fixed that error in the last chapter). and AquaDestinyEmbrace I glad you liked the whole Lee reference, that was the best part of the chapter to write! **

**Okay, here comes crafty Clem...**

* * *

Reaching the ground floor, Clementine's footsteps echoed across the tiled floor or the hardware store as she approached Bonnie who was bent down on the floor next too a giant bright orange bucket, hearing these footsteps Bonnie's head shot upwards as she shot Clementine a friendly smile.

"Hey, so they want you to run out some supplies out to the guy's workin' at the expansion, real simple just take this over to 'em" she instructed kindly, handing over the giant bucket to Clementine who grasped it easily. Bonnie noticed that Clementine didn't seem to overjoyed with this task, in fact Clementine wasn't looking at her at all. Her eyes were boring sadly to the floor.

Crossing her arms and feeling slightly defensive Bonnie let out a meaningless compliment "That jacket looks real nice. I don't know what Tavia's talkin' about" she said gazing at it with an easy smile.

She noticed Clementine still didn't respond as the smaller girl looked sadly into the bucket.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked in concern, Clementine had Bonnie on a fishing line and was ready to reel her in.

"It's Reggie... he..." she added a muffled sob that caused Bonnie to bend down to make eye contact with her "Me and Sarah, we were working in the greenhouse, but I was busy helping Sarah and I forgot to do my own... Carver came and... blamed Reggie"

Bonnie's deep blue eyes expanded open a few inches in horror as understanding dawned on her pale face.

"H-he pushed Reggie from the roof a-and Reggie died... I... It's all my fault..."

"Ain't your fault Clem" Bonnie reassured her (Clementine noted the affectionate tone of "Clem" was already entering into her speech and this was a good sign) she stood up tall as she glanced around the store, with a new look of fear in her eyes.

"Listen take that stuff out to the guys and then come straight back, just be safe okay? Now ain't the time to draw attention to yourself"

Clementine nodded to show she understood.

"I need to go and find out what happened" She told Clementine.

_"Oh you will and you won't like it at all"_ Clementine thought darkly as she walked off towards the door, feeling slightly evil of her extended manipulation of Bonnie yet she couldn't help but crack a smile at her own cunning.

"Piece of cake" she thought smugly as Bonnie opened the (fittingly labelled) emergency exit door to the chilly outside world.

"Hey Troy! Clem's just gonna take those boys some nails!" she yelled up to him, to where he stood tall above them waving his gun in his right hand.

"All right" was his bored response.

"Go on" Bonnie urged her lightly before closing the door behind her.

Not looking back on Reggie's body as she knew that would only earn her a frustrated shout from Troy, she simply followed the cables as she was instructed too the first time, she could feel Troy's beady eyes training down on her as she kept her head bent downwards, she knew Luke was waiting inside the comic store as she passed and he was a central part to the plan.

Entering the "expansion" she used the bucket to swing open the door, just as Kenny pinned Mike (by the throat) to the barricaded window behind him "Get your hands off me man!" he bellowed at a raging Kenny.

"Or what? _Are you going to tell on me?" _Kenny taunted him.

"I said get your hands off me!" Mike snapped in a rough tone, the brawl that was brewing was going to be nasty, Clementine let the bucket slip between her fingers as it crashed to the floor sending nails rolling in every direction as she ran towards the warring pair.

"You're one of them, aren't you...!" Kenny accused his grip on Mike getting tighter by the second.

"STOP FIGHTING, REGGIE'S DEAD YOU KNOW!" Clementine roared over the pair of them.

Kenny's grip went slack as the look of anger from his face died and was replaced with one of shock. Clementine knew Kenny well enough to deal with his sudden mood swings, from anger to shock, to grief to whatever else, Kenny could change in a heartbeat. Yet he was always there a man of steel never giving up.

But in the future, he gave up, after losing the vision of his son, after losing the baby. He let himself go down (fighting but still...) as she met his brown eyes he could see a life still raging inside of them. There was no way she would lose her friend, not once to the walkers, not twice to the walkers at the church but this was her third time to save him and she would ensure this was the third time lucky.

"What?" he asked in shock gazing at Clementine, as Mike fell back onto the barricade however as he did the window behind him shattered.

"SHIT! LURKERS!" Mike yelled in shock, barely able to believe Reggie was gone and now he had to deal with a sudden breach as he avoided the nearest one's lunge at him.

"GRAB SOMETHING!" Kenny bellowed to Clementine as the walkers swarmed the room separating the pair of them, Kenny scooped a hammer from the floor, ready to bash some heads in, while Clementine tried to retain her calm breathing, she knew Troy (of all people) would save her but one wrong slip and she could have ended up as walker mush.

Following the red carpet, she picked up a plank of wood and swung it at the nearest Walker, it made a comedic bonking noise as it's she aimed it at it's rotting head, alarmed as she found herself concerned, she quickly dived behind the nearest shelf that she had struggled to get to last time as she had panicked, keeping a level head she skimmed across the wall, but the rotting breath of the walker pursuing her still sent shivers up her neck as she felt herself panting in fear like a hunted dog.

She reached the end of the shelf, putting her back to work she managed to pry herself free as the spikes on the shelf impaled the walker in the head the second she freed herself, looking ahead she could only see 3 or 4 walkers approaching her and real adrenaline began to kick again, before her eyes were drawn to a neon bright sledgehammer, picking up the heavy thing she swung it at the nearest walkers legs.

It tumbled to the floor with a crash but it wasn't enough, fleeing backwards into another room she was able to pick the old screwdriver she used last time and (with the tricks she learned from Jane) she kicked the bald walker approaching her on the knee as it crumbled to the ground she impaled it's skull. She had barely tugged it out of the walkers brains before the next one was upon her, growling and retching.

With a bellow of adrenaline and using up the majority of her strength she flung her screwdriver upwards through the next walkers skull and through it's skull, she released the screwdriver as the walker fell to the ground staining the floor a familiar crimson colour as the rotting smell of the corpses caused Clementine's eyes to water slightly.

She was still panting when Troy walked in with his crossbow at the ready, however this time she had looked after herself. She didn't need Troy to rescue her from the walkers. There was nothing more satisfying then smirking at his scowling face.

"Move!" he snapped in retaliation.

_"Gladly"_ Clementine thought as she walked back into the main room where Kenny and Mike were panting in relief a few walkers skulls were impaled by arrows.

"Thank God you're okay" Kenny breathed in relief.

"She killed more than you did, I can't believe I have to babysit you assholes, can't do a simple fucking patch-job without me cracking the whip!?" Troy snapped at the two grown men as Clementine passed them still smirking.

"Woah, seriously kid you killed all those walkers without help?" Mike asked her in awe.

"Hey! Don't ask her questions get back to fucking work! Troy bellowed at him.

Clementine was already out of the door, unable to answer Mike's question anyhow but by the astonished tone of his voice he had gained a degree of respect for Clementine which was an added bonus as well as the whole (Smug Idiot doesn't get to save my life).

Walking along the shaking barricade Clementine kept a neutral expression, waiting for it... waiting for it...

And sure enough she turned around just in time to see Luke dart out of the comic store at such a blur that Clementine was reminded strongly of a fox as she caught a glimpse of his dark orange shirt before she found his cracked hands over her mouth as she was pulled into the dark depths of the store. She struggled for a few seconds before regaining her composure and biting down hard on his hand.

"AH!" He yelped in pain shaking his hand as his eyes met Clementine.

"Clementine, calm down! It's me... Luke!" He told her his brown eyes a shade of black as they seemed to pop out of his head.

Luke, he was here... alive and not some corpse on the floor that been shred apart by bullets. She went in to hug him instantly savouring her new found friend more than ever and remembering that this was the friendly Luke she knew, not the angry one who snapped at Kenny every minute or two, or the screw-up Luke who would rather "kiss" Jane than watch out for Walkers.

"I missed you" she said with raw emotion. Indeed she had.

"Aw, I missed you too kid" He responded as they broke apart from their hug.

Soon enough Luke began to tell her in the same stuttering tone that he had used last time about what a danger this camp was "T-they got g-guards patrolling e-everywhere..." his fear for the guards the first time was so contagious, because it was real. But now Clementine knew better so rather than have her heart beat at a million miles an hour she kept her head as she watched him slowly stutter on and pace around the small dark store.

"Are you alright?" she eventually asked him, seeing his the heavy rings under his eyes and his paler than usual skin worried her the first time and this time she simply felt like it would be a friendly thing to ask. His smile over her concern for him the first time had been touching, it was no different the second time.

His answer was also the same...

"... Y-yeah... I'm fine, okay? Don't worry about me"

"In other words, your tired, hungry and scared" Clementine summarised in her head.

A few guards walked past as Luke bent down to face Clementine at eye level, as he began to explain his whole plot with the radio's"O-okay listen I need you to g-get one of those radio's" he began in a quivering tone, Clementine tried to block out his words, his plan had sounded so brilliant. How had she gone along with it the first time? A poor plan behind charismatic words was what it was.

"I can get you a radio" Clementine lied, looking into his brown orbs and lying was a hard thing to do.

"Thanks, I glad I can count on you" He said fondly.

How could pull off such a good puppy face?

"CLEMENTINE, GET OUT HERE WHERE I CAN SEE YOU!" Troy snapped.

"Go on! Go!" Luke urged her, she looked back to see Luke disappear into the shadows of the comic store, before she swung open the door to find Troy (as per usual) glaring at her little form.

"What the hell were you doing in there?" he asked rudely.

"Looking at comics" Clementine replied quickly to avoid arousing suspicion she didn't want this plan to fail her just yet, by having Luke caught now.

"Bill radioed he wants a word with you up in his office so get on up there. Now." Troy instructed coldly.

Clementine was already walking back inside the store, this was it.

She watched Rebecca through the window in Carver's office before approaching with caution she forgot about bumping into a chubby freckled blonde man who gazed at her with neutral blue eyes through his glasses.

"Dude you better get up and see Bill, He doesn't like to wait" The man instructed, Clementine looked back at him wondering what to make of this man.

"So... you should probably go" he muttered awkwardly before walking off, well he was no Troy but not exactly friendly either...

With these thoughts in mind she took the slow climb to Carver's office, calling out to Rebecca when the pregnant woman descended the stairs with her head in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably.

"She's a strong woman, surrounded by weak men, I ain't letting my kid get raised around that" Came Carver's dreaded tone, as he set his dreaded stare upon Clementine with his arms folded over his chest.

"Now get in here..."

...

Certain phrases such as "Kids like you... raised the right way..." along with "Killing one to save many is part of survival" stuck with her but she had heard this speech before and tried not to speak at too much too Carver as he went on with his speech trying to brainwash her into his way of thinking no doubt. He was insane no doubt, but he certainly knew how to keep a large group of people alive...

"I'll help you... whatever you need. I know I'm just a kid but I'll do my best" Clementine found herself saying sadly.

With a small smile he muttered at her "Well that's all I can ask" he said proudly.

"Starting now" Clementine found herself uttering before she could stop herself, now the plan was fully in motion and Carver's silts opened considerably in interest, that was before a buzzing from his Walkie Talkie gave him the news that Troy had wrecked the hanger door, in his anger he growled "That fucking Idiot herd on it's way and he puts a ding in my door..."

"Maybe you should kill him too" Clementine suggested darkly.

"Careful missy, you're speaking out of line" Carver hissed at her.

"I may be, but I guess you'll still want me around to speak out of line" Clementine teased him with, Carver fell for the bait.

"What do you want to tell me?" he asked with eyes that dug straight into her soul, Clementine didn't know what would happen, this was a conversation she hadn't had. How this would change things... she gulped before continuing, she had to try.

"I'll tell you this on the deal that none of you or your guards kill or hurt me or my friends, or anyone in the pen" Clementine worded carefully knowing Carver would probably use Troy to do his dirty work if he couldn't.

"I always stick by a promise" Carver told her, yet Clementine highly doubted these words it was the only thing she had right now.

"Then you agree, If I tell you this, you have to keep to our deal" Clementine almost begged of him.

"I know you might not believe this but I don't want to harm anyway in that pen, we can build a community here with your friends but they want to tear it apart, can you see my problem, can you see how hard I've set up this community to be a safe haven, all for my kid?" he asked of the 11 year old.

"I understand, but were all fleeing here in a day and you can't stop us, your child will be gone again" Clementine said.

"The fuck he will" Carver snarled.

"But..." Clementine teased as Carver listened in, this was it, the moment that would change everything...

"I can stop this escape if you agree to my deal" She said.

"I agree with it Clementine now spill the beans, how are you planning to escape may I ask?" Carver's voice was like poison to her ears hidden behind a thin smile.

Clementine inhaled these next words would change the future for sure.

_"Were planning to smuggle a radio to Luke whose hidden in the comic store by the expansion" _

Carver blinked rapidly for a few seconds, to Clementine it was like he could barely believe what he heard, before he seemed to regain he senses as a massive grin spread uncontrollably under his grey-ish moustache.

"Thank you Clementine, you have no idea how much this will help this community" he actually sounded genuinely pleased with her, as he was smiling warmly at her for the first time. Clementine could barely believe what she was seeing.

"Like I said I will help you, I know what's it's like out there our group and the baby would die out there, this place isn't perfect but It's better than the alternative" she reassured herself more than reassured Carver. The middle aged stared in a new found admiration for the tough 11 year old and as he stood up and headed to the door, Carver patted Clementine on the shoulder three times.

"From now on you call me Bill and I'll call you Clem" he said before he walked out the door, no doubt gathering his guards and preparing to apprehend Luke.

A female guard went to escort her back to the pen, Clementine kept her head low, assuring herself that this was for the best. With this the plan with the radio's wouldn't go ahead, Kenny wouldn't lose his eye, Bonnie wouldn't help them escape through the horde resulting in the deaths of Sarita and Carlos, this would lead to all their deaths later on.

Approaching the pen, Clementine had realised, she may have made a tough choice, the first time she simply wanted out of this community.

But taking it slow and preparing for a proper escape was always the better option, with this she could gain more allies, prepare her friends better, this was her second chance, everyone's second chance.

_They all had to make the best of it. _


	9. Fallout

**A/N: Loving your reviews as always guys and the decision made last chapter seems to reflect on many of you as being a bad one and yes for this chapter there will be a ton of fireworks.**

**However I imagine that Clementine is... In Carver's words (or near enough) "one of those people who can make the tough decisions that weaker people wouldn't be able too" so her choice may be out of character but if she had the choice to save everyone to ally with Carver than I reckon she would do it for the group.**

**However this next chapter was a blast to write, (in terms of arguments and relationship changes and all that) and all you guys stay awesome! **

* * *

Clementine walked back to the pen, her gut sinking with each step she took closer to the shutter she could see her friends around the small campfire.

She doubted they would be her _"friends"_ after she revealed herself that she betrayed them.

But to her it had to be done. If they went ahead with the radio plan then how the hell was she meant to convince them it was a bad idea?

"Guys, this isn't gonna work we should wait..."

Luke had tried that method and it failed and even if she knew what "storm" was coming. She doubted she could save Sarita, Carlos in the mass confusion of that herd and even if she did, maybe someone else would end up with a bullet in their neck or be ripped to shreds by the walkers. Even with the knowledge of everything that was going to happen ,walking through the herd and surviving was pure and utter luck as the chaotic events exploded around her happened to fast for Clementine to control.

She wasn't superwoman, she couldn't run around the herd and kill them all, while carrying 10 people on her back. She may have been tough but at the end of the day she was an 11 year old girl, she had her limitations.

The female guard opened the shutter as Clementine walked into the pen, shed forgotten to speak to the guard, her mind was too preoccupied on her own actions, the more she tried to convince herself it was the right choice, the stupider it seemed.

She had entrusted a psychopath, given him a promise he would not stick by. By the dark glint in his eye he could see that he would disregard her promise in a heartbeat if he wanted too. Besides, there was no consequence for him if he broke the promise, whereas for Clementine... she shook her head as she strolled towards her group around the fire. When this came out they'd accuse her of saving herself over them (her friends), yet that was the polar opposite to what Clementine was trying to achieve.

She'd never be able to explain the truth to them, that she had seen the future, that she had seen what would happen to them all if they agreed to this seemingly sensible radio plan. Yet she would have to argue logic here, think like Carver... (a scary thought) slowly but silently she took her empty seat around the fire, her gut twisting , gazing into the flickering orange flames, the heat failing to warm in the slightest as she shook like a leaf...

"What have I done, What I have done?" she thought to herself.

"...this place will be fucking chaos when this herd hits..." Kenny was ranting towards the rest of the pen dwellers, Clementine noticed that Jane was still by herself.

"Your friend here wants to get us killed before the lurkers can do it" Rebecca told Clementine directly, Clementine felt herself squirm in her seat, lying to Luke was hard, but sitting here in front of everyone... it was agony. Rather than add suggestions to the group discussion she sat on the edge of her garden chair simply waiting for Carver to come in with Luke caught... he wondered if he would be the one who told everyone that she was the traitor.

He was taking too long, as discussion switched to Luke and how they could sneak him a radio "You know about Luke?" Clementine felt inclined to ask, (so she didn't appear too suspicious in her silence) in which Mike nodded. "Flagged us down when Troy wasn't looking, mentioned that he'd spoken to you..."

"Shit! What's he doing here!" Kenny suddenly exclaimed peering at the shutter, Clementine felt her heart leap to her throat, she didn't need telling about who "he" was but she knew exactly what was about to unfold, steeling what inner courage she had at this moment she turned to face the shutter.

Carver strolled in leisurely, as if he did this everyday, he was flanked by Troy to his left and Tavia to his right, both of them were wearing the same smug expressions that Carver had mastered. He stopped a few meters short of the fire "Evening folks' just thought I'd come to check how y'all getting on" He boomed merrily to the group, Clementine could feel the tension in the air skyrocket, everyone knew nothing good for them had happened if Carver was happy.

"What do you really want Bill?" Rebecca snapped at him when no one else spoke.

"Ah, Rebecca my sweet thing, ain't this place brilliant look we got beds and food and water, all to raise our kid..."

"Don't try to sweet talk me Bill, what are you here for?" she asked him firmly again, a look of pure hatred burning in her black coal pits of eyes.

Bill smiled at her, a smile that suggested he was toying with them all, when he next spoke his voice was one of feigned innocence "Like I said I just wanted to know what you people were... talking about" he said.

"Ain't none of your business _Bill_" Kenny spoke up mocking Carver's first name with a pronounced poison on his tongue.

"I believe it is my business Kenneth, besides you wouldn't happen to be talking about..."

Clementine saw him, Luke beaten and bloody being dragged forwards by his arms by two guards, Carver grabbed him by the scruff of the next as he moaned slightly, as every pen dweller (excluding Jane) gasped at the scene.

"...This" he spat before throwing Luke at their feet, as the younger man grunted in pain. Carlos was on him in a heartbeat inspecting his wounds, to Clementine she may have been angry that Carver had (already) broken the terms of the deal by hurting Luke. However his wounds were equal to those he received the first time he was battered, but he would recover with time.

He wasn't dead, that's what mattered.

"How did you know!?" Rebecca shrieked in shock at Carver.

"Well you see here my sweetie, somebody in this pen saw common sense and brought this whole _Let's sneak a radio to Luke_ thing to my attention. This person is the reason I didn't shoot Luke on sight, so you should be thankful that you're here and I plan for you all to stay here for a long, long time"

The shadows of the orange fire danced across his face, making him look the ever more sinister as he turned to leave them.

"WHO TOLD YOU!?" Kenny asked desperately of Carver, but the leader of the community didn't even turn to face him.

"You all have a nice evening now" he muttered in the same sly tone he had used back at the cabin before he left, he kept on walking as Troy and Tavia closed the shutter behind him with a demoralizing clunk.

"HEY! HEEEEEY! WHO TOLD YOU!" Kenny called after him.

"His not going to answer you Kenny" Rebecca snapped irritated, mainly because their master plan had just fallen right in front of their eyes.

"Is Luke okay?" Nick asked of Carlos as he bent down to inspect his best friend over 20 years.

"There's some obvious bruising and some damage to the ribs, but other than that, this should heal with time" he reassured Nick who sighed in relief.

"Now Luke's been beaten to shit and our escape plan is in tatters all because someone fucking told on us!" Kenny shouted each word growing louder in an uncontrollable rage, Clem gulped this was not something she wanted to face.

"Kenny, we don't want to start a witch hunt" Sarita said to trying calm her boyfriend down.

"We have too Sarita, some fucker is a snitch around here and I ain't sleepin' tonight till I know who it is!" He yelled going off on one.

"Carver could have just been messing with us, maybe they just found Luke by chance" Nick spoke up as he inspected over his friend.

"Oh no... someone grassed all right..." Luke grunted from where he stared at the floor, blood dripping from his lower lip, he finally looked up at everyone who was watching him carefully.

"I know I was hidden well and then Troy and Tavia come in scouting the damn store saying _he_ could be in here! And... bang, they find me! They were defiantly tipped off and we need to know who tipped them off!" Luke told the others, Clementine simply found it amazing that he and Kenny shared common ground for once.

"Yes, Thank you Luke finally somebody speaks some sense" Kenny told him as the two shared a some-what friendly smile.

"And how exactly are you planning on getting this person to confess?" Rebecca asked sceptically.

"Don't you want them to be caught!?" Kenny demanded of her.

"Of course I do! Whoever sold us out to Carver has left me and my baby here! I want more than anything to catch this traitor but I'm just pointing out that it's going to be difficult" Rebecca explained to him.

"I reckon I got a pretty good idea on who grassed on us" Kenny growled before turning sharply to Mike "So Mike, anything you want to say?"

"Kenny!" Sarita warned him, this came to no avail.

"You are not serious, you think I want to stay in this shit-hole?" Mike asked of him, as Kenny scoffed.

"Well, we barely know you Mike and you'd have the most reason to do this" Kenny accused him.

"I just want to get the work done, I don't want to frame nobody!" Mike yelled in his defence, for Clementine this was getting difficult to watch.

"I don't believe you Mike" Kenny growled, this was about to get ugly, luckily for Clementine, Nick noticed it too and swept in for the rescue.

"Look, maybe if we think about it guys, Carver said he'd kill Luke if it wasn't for someone telling on him" He began.

"Are you saying you support whoever did this!?" Rebecca squeaked angrily.

"No, I just..." Nick began hastily before he found his deep voice once again "I'm just saying, whoever did it may have had their reasons and maybe those reasons were stupid and uncalled for... but they did it too protect us" he summarised calmly.

Clementine found it Ironic that the trigger happy, village idiot was the one speaking the most sense here, however she suddenly realised why Nick would say such a thing, no doubt he was thinking about killing Matthew on the bridge, his actions had been stupid and uncalled for... but he did it too protect the group.

He could relate.

"Oh, I see trying to ease your conscious aren't you boy?" Kenny began as Nick paled considerably.

"What... no... I was just saying..." Nick began to stutter not liking how all eyes found him in an accusing manner.

"You did shoot that man on the bridge Nick, I know you want to protect the group but your decisions are usually rash, I know this sounds harsh but I am certain that you told Carver about the radio" Carlos said, a damming verdict on Nick, however before he could defend himself Sarita spoke up.

"What... shooting a man on the bridge? Matthew!?" she came to the conclusion with a shocked gasp.

Everyone was waiting, slowly but surely Nick nodded as Sarita burst into a chorus of pained sobs.

"... I didn't mean too... I mean... It looked like he...he... was about to shoot my friends..." Nick babbled haplessly, his eyes whizzing around to every observing face, Sarita looked up at him with a new sense of loath in her darkened eyes.

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID MAN! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE!?" Sarita roared at him with an unexpected rage flaring inside of her, causing Nick to shrink into himself, he never felt so pathetic or worthless in his whole life as his mouth slowly shut like a dying fish.

"Well if you shot Matthew there ain't a doubt in my mind that you're the idiot who told Carver our whole plan" Kenny concluded a dark glint in his eye and he sat there glaring at Nick.

"I fucked up when I shot Matthew, I really did! But... I swear I didn't tell Carver any of this!" he pleaded of them in the same desperate apologetic tone he had used with Walter.

"You don't sound too convincing Nick" Carlos accused him.

"You... didn't... did you?" Luke asked him.

"What!? No! You know I wouldn't Luke! You know me best! Why would you even say that!?" he demanded, getting very defensive, no doubt Luke's doubt and lack of faith in his friend is what hurt Nick more than Kenny's fists, or Sarita's harsh insults could.

"So, it was you then..." Kenny said standing up. Clementine felt sick but if she didn't speak up now, Nick would take the fall for something she had done. She had to come clean, but this only made it worse that she wasn't even suspected in this "crime" Nick and Mike had been given most of the stick and now she would have to bear the brunt of it.

"Kenny stop! It wasn't Nick!" Clementine yelled her heart beating at a million miles of hour as she stood in front of Nick, shielding him with her arms outstretched.

"I know you want to protect him Clementine, but Nick needs to learn the consequences for rash actions" Carlos snapped, as Sarah buried her face in her hands as she tried to control her breathing.

"I don't want to see this!" she squeaked as Carlos placed a comforting arm around her.

"Get out the way Clem" Kenny instructed.

"No it wasn't Nick!" Clementine persisted.

"We know it's him...!" Kenny began but he never finished as Clementine shouted over him.

"It wasn't Nick! I know that... because... _it was me_"

The fire crackled on as an uneasy silence fell over the pen, Clementine felt beads of sweat roll down her forehead, she couldn't bear it, but she had to do it, she store Kenny back into the eye and tried hard not to blink.

"Clem... you don't have to cover for him" he muttered eventually his jaw slack.

"No" she said firmly still looking at him "I did it, I told Carver where Luke was I made a deal with him that if I told him where Luke was, then he or any of his guards wouldn't kill any of us here" she told him.

"And you believed a promise Bill would make!?" Rebecca asked in disgusted disbelief, this was going to get nasty...

"It was all I had Rebecca" Clementine said.

Well, if she had improved anything all glares were off Nick as she knew she was in the hot-seat right now.

"Clem... how could you? I thought you'd agreed to get those radio's" Luke asked of her, again pulling his trademark Puppy dog face...

"What... Clem... you've doomed us all... do you know that!?" Kenny shouted, a rage blinding him as he charged towards the girl, thankfully Sarita managed to crash into him and calm him down "KENNY YOU CAN'T HIT A LITTLE GIRL!" She screamed.

"JUST BECAUSE SHE'S A LITTLE GIRL! DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO HER!"Kenny roared.

"LOOK AROUND YOU!" Clementine finally shouted back anger coursing through her veins, these people hadn't seen the future, they hadn't seen what she had seen.

"REBECCA'S ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH ANY DAY NOW! DO YOU REALLY THINK WE CAN DO THAT OUT THERE!? WHERE ARE WE GOING TO FIND FOOD HUH!? AND WATER AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES, WE ALL NEED TO HEAL UP AND WAIT! YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE MY DECISION BUT I MADE IT FOR THE GOOD OF THE GROUP!"

She panted as her rant ended as quickly as it had started.

"Well you've just doomed _the group_" Rebecca snapped her antagonistic tone returning to her voice.

"I can't bear this I need to go to bed, I hope this is just a bad dream" Sarita moaned massaging her forehead.

"Yeah c'mon hon, we'll all enjoy our _comfortable_ beds thanks to a certain someone" Kenny snapped shooting Clementine a glare fuelled with hatred.

She averted her eyes to the floor.

"I knew you couldn't be trusted, now stay the hell away from my daughter" Carlos told her angrily as he helped Sarah to bed, she exchanged a quick glance with Sarah as the rest of the group turned away from her, no doubt giving her the silent treatment, she sighed as they all moved away from her, she knew this decision would be unpopular. But she would suffer a bout of loneliness to save everyone's lives.

Well she thought she was alone, that is until she heard a deep voice behind her.

"Hey Clem?"

It was Nick, he looked at her with his deep blue eyes of his.

"I just wanna say, I don't blame you and thinking about it, maybe it is for the best you did make some valid points I mean what if Rebecca does give birth?" he asked of her.

"I know" she replied.

"I bet you thought I was stupid and first and hell I still am I reckon but..." Nick began.

"Were the one's here that would go to extreme lengths to protect the group and that's why you understand the choice I made. So thank you Nick" she said sweetly.

Nick rarely smiled, so when he did you knew it was genuine.

"No problem and thanks for saving my lousy ass by telling everyone, I'll make it up to you, I swear" he said beaming as he departed to his own bed, both of them were in the shit as of now, although it was nice to have a friend.

Especially at a time like this.


	10. Gaining Trust and Allies

**A/N: Okay, thanks for all the reviews once again guys and now that events have been completely changed I reckon from this chapter onwards the future will speak for itself. **

**Okay, cutting this note short, I'll get on with the chapter...**

* * *

Clementine looked up to the blackness above her as the snoring of the others (particularly Kenny) drifted over to her ears, but it wasn't the snoring that kept her awake, no it was the coldness that she felt encompassed by that made her shiver and twist and turn on her excuse for a "bed".

Kenny, Rebecca, Sarita, Carlos, Luke... they had all reacted to her with anger and disbelief at Clementine, no doubt giving her the cold shoulder, treating her like a cold person physically made her feel cold and uncomfortable with herself. Yet the harder she tried not to linger on the blatant disappointment present across her friends' faces the more they came back to haunt her.

"Their alive because of me" was her only comforting thought, as she wondered on what the next day would bring. No doubt the continued and silent anger from her group, she knew Carver would be clever enough to try and alienate her from her group. She could also envision what dark plans that man had behind his dark and poisonous green eyes, yet despite their treatment of her Clementine knew she belonged here in this pen. She would stick to her word that she was doing it for the good of the group and not to simply get out of the pen.

Yet her eyes remained open, with the future in front of her no longer scripted she had no idea how this was going to turn out but she could only hope for the best.

"Can't sleep either huh?" came a deep voice from a bunk beside her, peering ahead she could clearly see the striking blue of Nick's cat like eyes looking back in her direction.

"No" she responded flatly as Nick chuckled slightly.

"I told you these beds were no better than the floor, but I imagine that's not why you're awake" he theorized (well it didn't take a genius to figure it out)

"I guess I screwed up, I just wanted to do what was right" Clementine whispered back at him as she saw him blink slowly and turn to face the bunk above him.

"I haven't slept since Pete" he admitted.

Clementine was strongly reminded of the time in that cellar where in his drunken state he had confessed on how he had to kill his own mother. No doubt Nick had been through a lot of trauma that he hid behind a shell, well a shell with spikes and he could be "prickly" if pressed to much. Yet right now they were both in a similar situation and Clementine felt closer to him than anyone else.

"And now all I can think about is shooting Matthew and Luke doubting me earlier, I trust that guy and I know he trusts me so... if he doubted me then I must be one fucking shitty person" he admitted, no doubt his depression sank in a lot faster than it did for other people but after going through a series of deaths to people close to him in quick succession (his mother, Pete, killing an innocent man.. etc...) Clementine could relate. She had gotten innocent Omid killed after the deaths of Lee, Ben, Kajtaa and Duck.

"I got my friend Lee killed" she spoke by herself as Nick's eyes widened.

"What?" he asked although he had clearly heard her.

"I was young and stupid, he wasn't the only one that died because of me" she admitted sadly herself, Nick's eyes remained locked to the bunk above him, but he finally sighed and turned back towards to Clementine feeling a sudden urge to help the girl who had gone out of her way to help him back in the cellar.

"You sowed up your own arm Clem, if you hadn't have got me to apologise to Walter I doubt he would saved me from that Walker back at the lodge, I can't see you messing up" He explained to her.

"Well I did, we all screw up Nick not just you, besides you saved my life with the walkers back at the cellar, think about that"

Nick did so and finally a small smile wormed it's way onto his face as he turned away from Clementine "Thanks Clem, I'll try..."

"I'll try too" she uttered.

"Night" he called to her before he closed his eyes and tried to dream of a better place than than this prison he was in.

"Night" she echoed back to him, as she closed her eyes, she may have felt like that whole conversation was in place to help Nick, but she had no idea how much that helped her too. Nobody was flawless and mistakes (especially in this camp) were heavily criticized as Reggie had learnt the hard way.

She needed reassurance more than Nick did.

...

The next morning brought the miserable moans of the morning populace of the pen to Clementine's ears, she kept her eyes closed for as long as possible but as she heard the shutter open with that now familiar rattling noise, her eyes sprung open and she walked out of bed and towards the shutter where Tavia stepped through her gun ever present with her. Escape was now a distant dream.

"Nick, Jane, Rebecca, Carlos and Sarita if you gotta take a piss do it now because you're working on the expansion all today" Tavia told them harshly as their faces sunk, Clementine tried to keep her gaze to the floor knowing the "this is all your fault" glares were already trained on her miniature form.

"Did you sleep well?" Sarah suddenly asked with a friendly smile, as Clementine dared to look up at her. She seemed to be smiling in a perfectly normal manner, however before Clementine could reply Carlos also turned to the pair of them. "Sarah" Carlos warned, his voice like thunder as Sarah went stiff yet despite her fear of her father when he got angry, she couldn't help but be a bit rebellious as she quickly whispered into Clementine's ear...

"I'll speak to you later anyway I wanna hear the rest of your story"

Clementine couldn't help but smile at this, she highly doubted that Sarah realised the full consequence or what Clementine had done, besides they were "friends" Sarah (it seemed) always wanted to listen to a friend and Clementine appreciated the company.

"Sarah, Mike and Luke you're working up in the greenhouses today" Tavia instructed as a guard started leaving the group to their daily tasks upon hearing she was once again working at the greenhouse Sarah shook heavily but this was ignored by Tavia who coldly lead them towards their destination regardless of Sarah's state of mind.

Leaving Clementine with the person she didn't want to face right now. Kenny.

Barely two seconds of awkward silence had passed before he angrily muttered "So you still think this, is saving the group, huh Clementine?"

"It's better than being out there" she replied on monotone gazing at the gathering walkers on the other side of the barricaded fence, it was only then that she remembered that tonight was the night that the herd would hit the community, maybe the lack of the PA system's music would spare them the burden of dealing with the brunt of thousands of walkers.

Then again there was always the chance this community would fall tonight regardless and now they didn't have a plan to deal with it.

She prayed to God (for probably one of the only times) that the walls to this community were Walker resistant.

...

Kenny was sent off with the same short haired woman that Clementine had seen chatting earlier, Shel she remembered it was. Bonnie had said that Shel was a good person... maybe just maybe...

"Hey, guess you're with me again" Bonnie muttered walking into the pen with a wide smile, Clementine was very pleased to see her. In-between her indifferent allies and the creepiness of Carver, she was glad to have a genuine friend in the community who she could speak too.

Following Bonnie out of the pen, the two of them proceeded to the armoury however as they walked along Bonnie turned to Clementine. "Anyway I asked Carver about Reggie and... My God he was so upfront about it, like he'd pulled a weed out or something and that's just one of those moments when your blood runs cold and when goose-pimples run up your arm. Because the person you thought was there, was never there at all"

She opened up the door to the armoury as they walked inside.

"So, were doing the same as we did yesterday?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah simple enough job" Bonnie said as they took their seats, Clementine was already filling the magazines.

"Well, you're becoming a natural" Bonnie said rather impressed as she took her seat.

"It's nothing, I'm glad I'm here though and not in the Greenhouse, not after Reggie" she told Bonnie as the redhead cast Clementine a look of sympathy.

"That poor girl though, Carver making her go up there after what happened yesterday... she already a wreck with her autism and all..."

"Her what?" Clementine asked intrigued.

"Her autism sweetie, it's a... problem... people who have it can't talk to people as easily as me you or can. It's a complicated sort of problem, makes the poor girl a nervous wreck over everything, although Carlos's coddling of her hasn't helped her either" Bonnie thought aloud casting her opinion on the problem.

"How do you know Sarah has autism?" Clementine asked, were Bonnie and Sarah close? If so how had this detail gone unknown to her the first time?

"I don't speak to her, but just by seeing her around the community before and watching her with her dad... I just...well... had a friend once who had the same condition and it defiantly she acted just as Sarah does now" Bonnie explained.

"You used to be friends with a woman who found it hard to speak to people?" Clementine ventured further into Bonnie's past.

Bonnie shook her head "No, this girl tried, she... just couldn't help it... she was a wreck but... I used to hang around with a lot of people with problems" Bonnie muttered sadly her blue gaze finding the dull tiled floor as she was lost in her thoughts of her days of drug addiction, a cough from Clementine brought her back to her senses.

"Sorry, went on the memory train just now" Bonnie smiled as she returned to the mundane task of loading the golden bullets into a small magazine, it didn't help that when she twirled the cylinder shaped bullets in her fingers that they reminded her of the cylinder shaped syringes she once held in her fingers. She shook those thoughts away violently as Clementine decided to move matters forwards.

"Carver hasn't helped either" Clementine said flatly on the subject of Sarah's "problems" as Bonnie stared nervously at the red door at the other end of the dull brown room. Afraid almost that Carver was leant behind it listening in too every word.

"Maybe... maybe Luke was right about him after all, I mean after seeing the state he was in today... after the deal you made with him too" She sighed aloud as she got busy with loading another magazine.

"You heard about that then?" Clementine asked dreading the answer.

"Heard about it? I don't think I've heard Bill talk about something as much as he was talking about you" she then put on a poor impersonation of Carver's gravelly voice "That girl Clementine, use her as an example folks! Atta Girl, those idiots undermined by her! She's what this community needs! Whoever raised her deserves a medal... Oh I could go on and on Clem but I think you get the gist" Bonnie told her as Clementine felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"I was trying to help my group, because... I know what it's like out there Bonnie I think were safer in here for the time being" She explained to freckled woman.

"I was thinkin' the same thing especially with this herd coming along" Bonnie agreed with her, before she continued "You know when I first heard all about the deal from what Shel told me, I couldn't believe you'd do something like that. But now the more I think about it the more it makes sense. I mean you got a baby on the way, Sarah wouldn't last long out there if something happened to Carlos and now Luke's in bad shape..."

"I tried telling them that, but their all still angry at me...not that I blame them" she added quickly.

"I wouldn't blame too them darlin' but they'll come round in time, maybe an escape after this baby's born would make more sense" she said giving her opinion on the matter.

Bonnie and Clementine spoke on for a few more minutes, generally friendly chit chatter. Bonnie was getting to a strange question about choosing between "Lobster hands" or a "Snake Tongue" before a sudden burst of static from the walkie talkie silenced them.

"BONNIE! GOD-DAMN IT THERE'S A BEEN A BREACH... AT THE LEFT HANGER DOOR...!" The voice cut off in with a panicked yell.

"Damn it that was Wyatt, I have to go check what's up!" Bonnie exclaimed springing upwards, without even turning to check on Clementine, she flung the door wide open and ran towards through the store to the source of the commotion. With no choice, Clementine gave chase scooping up another rusty screwdriver as she gripped it in her right hand (having a feeling she'd need it) following the back of Bonnie's dull green jacket, everyone else seemed to preoccupied with their jobs or absent from the area to notice them.

Reaching a smaller hanger door, Clementine noticed the bearded, freckled man with the glasses that had spoken to her yesterday by Carver's office was struggling under a walker, Bonnie jabbed her gun at the walkers' head as it flew off him, another scream caught Clementine's ears as she turned to see 2 walkers about to crash down and bite a man on the neck...

She wasted no time, heroically she crashed into one walker and brought her screwdriver down on the other's one's head. Pulling the screwdriver out with a squelch she turned just in time to deal with the second one by thrusting the rusty metal upwards through it's skull, she let it go slack and fall to the floor. Panting heavily she turned to the man below her who was also bearded with big black eyes and a few facial piercings.

"Holy shit, you saved my life dude" He said to her in awe.

"It's Clementine to you and I'm a girl in case you hadn't noticed" she responded pulling off her most badass face, or trying too at least.

Bonnie dealt with the last walker as she helped the blonde man to his feet, "What the hell happened here Wyatt?" she asked gazing at the hanger door.

"Troy, he knocked the shit out of it and Stan left me and Eddie to deal with it, so we were... we were fooling around, alright!? But we swear to God we didn't hear these three fuckers approach and the next moment were fucking swarmed!" he was yelling in panic as he recounted his tale.

"Calm down, it's lucky you keep your Walkie Talkie on you, or I wouldn't have reached you in time" she told him sternly.

"I know, but fuck... when Bill finds out about this, especially about what happened to Reggie yesterday we are in fucking shit Bonnie" Wyatt was exclaiming more panicked about Carver than he was about the walkers.

"I know, we should cover this up, no one's here, this can stay between us, now calm down and help me move the bodies" she snapped.

As they got to moving corpses and chucking them outside the hanger door and clearing up splashes of blackish blood on the floor, Wyatt suddenly seemed to notice Clementine "Woah hang on a minute Bonnie she's here! She's gazing at us like a fucking fox! She'll tell people!"

Bonnie eyes found Clementine's "She won't Wyatt, this is Clementine, you know the girl who made the deal with Bill? She made that deal too protect her group and I trust her to make the right decision here so I reckon she will protect you too".

Clementine blinked at her, quite surprised by the praise she had just received.

"Look Clem, you can keep this little incident between us, Wyatt and Eddie here would really owe you, I know their as thick as two planks, but... their good people..."

"It's fine, I won't say a word I don't want anymore Reggie's" Clementine reassured her as Bonnie smiled.

"First you save my life from walkers and now from Bill, you are officially the coolest little girl I've ever met" Eddie complimented her in a dork like fashion as Wyatt and Bonnie rolled her eyes at him.

"What? She is cool, especially with her cap and all" He gazed at the blue and black thing in with a comedic expression on his face "Can I borrow it someday" he suddenly asked.

"In you dreams" she responded smiling.

Bonnie and Wyatt burst out laughing at Eddie's expense as his dorky face sunk, yet she liked these two new dorks (Eddie and Wyatt) already.

_Gathering her allies. _


	11. A Murder Used Wisely

**A/N: Okay now I'm getting really hyped over the amount of attention this story's staring to receive, bringing Eddie back was always my plan as he and Wyatt had great banter in the game and hopefully serve as some sort of comic relief in the game left in the void of Omid's death.**

**This chapter will also introduce one more 400 days character who wasn't the main group. (After this character is introduced I reckon I'll have to stop bringing in new characters as the story will get too clustered with characters and it will harder to develop them all) **

**Anyway thanks to all of you so far and any suggestions or opinions I'd love to hear! **

* * *

Wyatt and Eddie thanked Bonnie and Clementine for their help as Bonnie took Clementine back towards the armoury as they walked over the patched floor they ran into none other than Tavia herself who looked very ticked off about something.

"Bonnie!" she snapped upon seeing the redhead woman.

"Howdy Tavia" She replied lightly, but this only caused Tavia's face to diverge further into fury as she gazed with loathing at the freckled woman in front of her.

"Where the hell have you been! I've been looking for you in the armoury" She told her in a fury, thankfully Bonnie was a quick thinker so while Clementine stood gawking like a fish trying to think of an excuse. Bonnie managed to get out causally "Well Clem just wanted a tour around the place, I couldn't refuse, I mean it couldn't do any harm" she said, as Tavia's glare switched to Clementine. The young girl felt uneasy by the chubby's woman's eyes x-raying her back to the bone. Clementine gave her most innocent wide eyed look back, which didn't seem to lighten Tavia's sour face.

"Remember Bonnie these aren't our friends no matter how young they are" she told the redhead flatly, Bonnie felt the sting of the insult but covered her grimace with another question.

"So what y'all looking for me for?" She asked brushing off Tavia's cold and harsh words to her.

"Well more like looking for her, there's been a situation in the greenhouses Bill wants you up there" Tavia commanded her black analytical eyes once again trained on Clementine, who gulped nervously and shared a concerned look with Bonnie, the word "Sarah" telepathically linking to the two of them. "Okay, I'll come" Clementine responded as she followed Tavia back up towards the roof, leaving a blank and worried looking Bonnie behind.

"What's happened?" she asked as they climbed the dark stairwell.

"You'll find out when you get there, God your group is nothing but trouble" she moaned as she slammed open the roof door in frustration, "Head on over there" she snapped coldly at Clementine as she shut the door behind her with a thud. Nervously Clementine approached the greenhouse she could already see a few figures standing around outside and hear (above the gales of the roof) Carver's voice...

"... Now I'm not saying that this shouldn't be allowed, but I honoured a promise..." Carver was saying muffled by the glass of the greenhouse, holding her breath, (knowing what she would find inside would not be good) she slowly creaked open the door.

It wasn't a pretty site.

Plants were crashed all over the place as soil littered the floor, Nick, Jane and Rebecca stood and Clementine noticed they all looked pale and shook by something as she entered all of the heads whipped around to her.

"Ah! Here she is, girl of the moment!" Came Carver's voice, Clementine looked to him and wished she hadn't.

Sarah was crying in her father's arms, more hysterically than Clementine had ever seen her before, as she wailed and cawed into her father's chest as Carlos was bent down, almost as if he was shielding his daughter from Carver himself. Carver had his hands on his hips and wore an easy smile. Rule number one of this camp was that if Carver was happy than something bad had happened.

And so it had, the girl that Clementine had seen yesterday (Becca she remembered it was) lay spread-eagled across the greenhouse floor, a red hole indented in the middle of her head as her black orbs were forever locked upon the celling. Kenny was standing nearby looking appalled at what had occurred, while another messy black haired woman was bent over trying to comfort the short haired woman (Shel) who was sniffing and gazing to the floor, she seemed to be in a cationic state.

"Clementine, I bet you're wondering how this happened?" Carver asked lightly as he caught Clem's eyes widening at the scene.

"What did you do?" she asked horrified gazing at the girl, she may not have liked the girl from her first impression but this... she wasn't expecting this to happen before she even got to talk to her.

"No Clem, you should be asking what _we_ did for the good of the community" Carver smiled at her, his eyes dark as they scanned over her, again Clem felt like she was being x-rayed.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" Clem yelled desperately having no idea what Carver had told them, but knowing it wasn't good and knowing that somehow that she was in some way to blame for this murder.

"Just shut up Clementine" Kenny muttered.

Clementine flinched as Carver began his tale...

"You see Becca here..." he gazed at the body on the floor "She grew frustrated because little Sarah over there wouldn't do her work..." (at this point Sarah howled louder) "... so rather than be patient with her, Becca thought punching some sense into your little friend would work. Now I couldn't have that. Usually I would have finished off your friend Sarah for her incompetence, but seeing as I am a man of my word I decided that the blame lay elsewhere"

Shel sniffed again as Carver continued his tale.

"You see Becca here was a hot headed girl, stupid, cynical, and she broke the promise you set me and seeing as she liked to break my rules more often than any normal member of the community, I feel that she, like Reggie, had to be punished".

"You're insane, you're a murderer!" Clementine accused him, only causing Carver to chuckle lightly.

"Now that's mean Clem, you see I did you and your friends a favour. Becca won't ever mistreat poor Sarah again. It was thanks to you and you're promise that I can finally start acting against unruly members of my community, hell the more they go down the greater you and your friends go up in my book. Maybe I'll even let you out of the pen..."

Clementine felt sick to the stomach, Carver had twisted her promise completely turning those in the pen against her was bad enough, but now (somehow) he knew that she was trying to befriend those in the community and was turning them against her and what spoke louder volumes than a murder. There was no reason to kill Becca, that could have been anyone her death was Carver's way of dividing the community and the pen ever further apart.

And (she realised as she gazed at a sobbing Sarah) traumatize Sarah further, as she knew the girl would now blame herself for Becca's death.

"Stephanie! Get Shel here back to my office, her sister's death as I can see has affected her greatly and it will take time for her to recover" Carver commanded as the messy haired woman simply nodded and helped a distraught Shel to her feet, the pair of them walked out slowly. Surely they would be angry at Carver and not Clementine for this? Wouldn't they?

"You're a liar and a bully, you hurt Luke yesterday!" she snapped.

"That was Troy and he has already been spoken too for acting out of term" Carver responded.

Clementine was sunk she knew that Carver had brought her here to try and make her look the grand master of evil behind Becca's death through the deal. The Pen dwellers would despise her for agreeing to stay and alienating them all from those not in the pen and those in the community would now see her as the hate figure as it was because of her that Becca was dead.

But Carver had pulled the trigger, then again would anyone stand up to Carver? Could she as she was apparently "in league" with him now. She realised as Carver told the group "Alright now that's cleared up everyone get back to work!" as they did (slowly) Carver spoke down to her "Oh no Clem, you'll be working with Stephanie for the rest of the day" he mused smiling.

She wanted to bash his face in. Carver was playing mind games with her and so far he was winning.

Tavia escorted Clementine from the greenhouse so hastily that she didn't even get to check on the others, she caught Nick still gazing at her, while everyone else looked furious and Sarah was still buried in her father's chest for Clementine too look at her.

_"Please don't hate me Sarah, I still need to finish you telling you my story"_ she thought sadly.

Clementine thoughts were on Sarah and the recently dead Becca when Tavia shot back at her smugly "I told you shouldn't have spoken so much" It took Clementine a few seconds to clock on to what Tavia had meant, before she suddenly realised that it was Tavia who had been observing Clementine. No doubt she had been telling Carver about her growing friendship with Bonnie and it was Clementine who was stupidly trying to be friendly with Tavia no doubt with Tavia picked up on that and had told Carver.

Carver knew what she was planning and used it too his advantage to blow back in her face.

"Damn you, you're a horrible person" she told Tavia coldly, the chubby woman only smiled in response as she led Clementine back through the compound before she found herself in front of an alien grey door "Go on inside _Clem_... I'm sure you and Stephanie will have a blast" she smiled as she walked away seemingly victorious.

An hot headed but innocent girl was dead because of Clementine's deal, was this what she was willing to do to save the group? and now Carver had set her to work with a close friend of Shel's no doubt who would hate her, who would blame Becca's death on her. Clementine could envision Carver holding a giant wooden spoon and stirring the pot. He was a troublemaker and he loved it.

Gritting her teeth, she found the rather attractive woman with her head in her hands muttering something, hearing the door open the woman's (Stephanie as Clementine remembered) head shot upwards as her strong azure eyes scanned over Clementine, she waited for the rant to begin.

Instead Stephanie said (in a neutral tone) "Take a seat" So Clementine did so, the room around her was small and stuffy and filled with strange metallic objects, sitting on a table overfilling with what Clementine could basically describe as "Junk".

After a few seconds Clem looked up at Stephanie, she had to get this woman on her side, Carver had used the murder to his advantage to alienate Clementine but two could play at this game, although it felt degrading to plea to strangers.

_"You'll have to depend on the kindness of strangers if you want to get far"_ A wise man called Hershel Greene once said.


	12. You Should Be Dead

**A/N: Thanks for all the support guys!**

**Rebloxic- Thanks for the continued support and reviews and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Still loving your reviews and I'll agree with you there I never liked Becca much anyhow and I felt like (if I kept her around) her views and angry outbursts would hold Shel back, however with Becca gone this leaves a lot of routes for me to develop Shel's character (and she's got Stephanie as her support) **

**AquaDestinyEmbrace- Yep Carver's a psycho and I'm glad his coming across this way. A villain but one with a lot of cunning.**

**P.S. I thought there'd be a lot of Tavia hate as I'm shaping her up to be the third jerk after Troy and Carver, but I guess that will come in time.**

**Now, on with the chapter... **

* * *

"So were salvaging from this scrap" Stephanie explained as she lifted a rotting can into the still air "Just nitpick around that pile on the table and if you find any goods, put into onto a separate pile on the floor to your right"

"Okay" Clementine said to show she understood as she extended her small hand and took a chunk of rotting, jutted metal from the pile of junk "What do we do with useless scarp?" She asked as she held the useless metal in her hands.

"Just chuck into that bin over there" Stephanie said pointing to a small black bin in the corner of the room, Clementine took aim and threw the metal with force, the useless chunk of scarp landed inside of the bin almost perfectly with a clang.

"Nice shot kid!" Stephanie complimented with a small smile as her hands dug back into the scarp pile, this sudden kindness made Clementine feel wary and she wondered if this was a false front and if her kindness would simply be blown back in her face as it had with Tavia, why else would Bill send her to work with Stephanie? If Stephanie was being kind to her it was too simply to gain more information from her.

She was a spy for Bill no doubt.

Clementine kept her lips sealed, but barely three seconds had passed when Stephanie's strong aqua eyes found Clementine's hazel one's once again.

"For a girl who can look Bill in the eyes and not flinch you're surprisingly mute" she commented.

Clementine didn't reply, Stephanie sighed as she chucked a piece of scarp into the bin behind her before muttering "You know you don't have to be this way around me, I know what happened to Becca wasn't your fault"

"Well everyone else seems to think it is" Clementine snapped at last, forgetting her earlier rule of silence.

"I know they do, but I know what Bill's like and I've wanted to leave this camp for a while now, but Shel always convinced me to stay... but now that's Becca's dead, maybe she'll see some sense..."

"Just stop trying to be my friend" Clementine spat, this woman was defiantly putting on a front, Carver wanted to know if she was still planning to escape no doubt.

"Why would you say that? I'm trying to help you here kiddo and let you know I'm on your side" Stephanie told her as she found a useful pocket knife in the scarp pile, Clementine watched her place it onto the floor to the right of her. As she finished this Clementine spoke, "I know Carver's using you to spy on me, just like he used Tavia to spy on me" she told the young woman whose wide bright blue orbs shrank to silts when Tavia's name was mentioned.

"That fat bitch is Carver's lapdog, I swear to you I'm not" Stephanie pleaded of Clementine.

"I don't know you so how can I trust you?" Clementine demanded of her.

Stephanie paused and thought about how to get this girl on her side, eventually she smiled as a plan formulated in her mind "Okay then I admit it, I am a spy for Bill and I'm going to tell him that you're planning to escape" Stephanie mused as Clementine's gazed at her sceptically.

"Tell him then, I don't care" Clementine said, as she found a small rusted red hammer in the scarp pile, as she placed that to the floor she heard Stephanie speak "Well even if I do tell on you, it really can't get worse for you, I mean you're in the pen and all, Carver may know you have a plan but he won't act until you act. Do you get what I'm saying? and for the record I'm not really's Carver's spy"

Clementine thought about this woman's words carefully, Carver could have Clementine shot dead in a second if he wished, he'd be willing to push aside a "deal" with a powerless eleven year old to secure the future of his community. Yet he hadn't done that yet. The illusion of the "deal" still hung around the hardware store, if Clementine had any chance of escaping she needed as many allies as she could muster and in all honesty Stephanie had a point. At this point it couldn't really get any worse, spy or none spy.

"Okay fine, I don't care if you tell Carver or not but I'm planning on getting out of here" Clementine admitted to the young woman as her face broke into a huge smile.

"I knew it! Wyatt and Eddie were telling me earlier how you saved them from the walkers and you and Bonnie get on like a house on fire. Trust me kid we're not all Carver's puppets here, we have minds of our own" Stephanie informed Clementine to her delight.

"That's what I was hoping for" Clementine muttered as cool as a cucumber.

"I mean I know it can be hard to trust people but... you need someone to have your back in these times" Stephanie told her as she looked nervously at the door, Clementine could tell she wanted to say something outrageous without being overheard, eventually (deducing that nobody was leant against the door listening in) Stephanie spoke...

"I mean fuck Carver, his a psycho, I wanted to leave here I really did but the last time I tried to leave a group I didn't trust... it went badly"

"What happened?" Clementine asked intrigued.

"Me, Shel and Becca were at an old diner, with a guy called Roman. We caught someone trying to steal from us, so we decided to kill the guy and after that things got worse, I just... had to get out of there! I took some supplies and tried to high tail it outta there"

"You got caught didn't you?" Clementine predicted already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, Roman caught me and locked me in the back of a truck. He wanted to kill me just like we did to the guy before and he wanted Shel to do it. But..." (she smiled warmly at this) "she didn't, her and Becca drove away in the RV they had. After that I had to beg for forgiveness and Roman spared my life... but if Shel hadn't driven away in the first place I know I'd be dead. I could never repay her for saving my life" Stephanie's eyes were on the celling, before she quickly regained her composure.

"Anyway eventually we had to leave the diner and one by one our group started dying, eventually it was just me and Roman and eventually we found Bill's place here. God, I couldn't believe it I saw Shel and Becca again, even if Roman was furious at them for driving away and Becca was angry at me for stealing in the first place... it was a reunion I dreamt about for months but actually living it..." she smiled as her closed as she savoured the memory "It was probably the best moment in my life, back then Bill was like a God to me"

"And now his a psycho to you?" Clementine reminded her, cutting off her happy memory.

"Roman went off on a supply run and never came back" Stephanie stated sadly as her eyes found the floor, "It wasn't just Roman others never came back too, since then Bill started to lose it... he...became obsessed with protecting the group and rooting out those that were a burden, but now Roman's gone and now Becca's... just gone, I used to get along with her so well, barely an hour ago she was alive and now..." she muffled a sob at this point before ploughing on "...I mean who knows who will be next?" Stephanie asked of her.

"Carver's dangerous" Clementine summarised.

"That's true, but I just want to know why you made that deal with him" Stephanie asked Clementine in curiosity, Clementine couldn't tell her about the future, however she could argue her logical viewpoint "My group needs to rest and recover, Rebecca will give birth any day now, the others are injured, I know Carver's dangerous but if he can hold the community together then that just gives us more time to plan to break out of here" Clementine explained to her.

"Nice, hopefully he doesn't kill half of your group by the time you have an escape plan" Stephanie joked without any humour in her voice.

"I know, but maybe you and some of the others can help" Clementine asked using her best puppy dog eyes on the woman, as Stephanie's brows lifted upwards in sympathy. "Kid, I'm already on your side and I'll try to convince Shel as well, I'm sure she doesn't blame you in the slightest, but God knows what Bill's telling her. But I promised I'd repay the favour, she saved my life now I'll save her's by getting her out of here" Stephanie summarised as Clementine grinned, again she was gathering more allies.

"Thank you Stephanie" Clementine said sweetly.

"Sure thing kid, or can I call you Clem?" she asked.

"Sure" Clementine replied.

For the next few hours they got on with there work, by the time Clementine's back and bum were sore Stephanie's walkie talkie came to life and a nasally male voice flew across the room "Hey Steph! Come to me in 5, get the girl back to the pen as it supper time for em!" he commanded.

"Sure thing Stan" Stephanie replied placing the walkie talkie on the now empty table as she stood up. "Well doesn't time fly Clem?" she quizzed of the younger girl, as she stretched her arms.

"Yeah" Clementine answered not really paying attention, her thoughts locked on what awaited her back in the pen and the oncoming herd tonight.

"Just keep quiet, especially tonight with that herd coming, that pen isn't as secure as the rest of the store" Stephanie warned her.

"I'll try and tell the others that" Clementine said.

Stephanie smiled warmly at her, before she faced the door ahead of her "Still with the herd coming tonight I don't why Stan would want..." she paused suddenly realising she was in a room with a little girl and not her usual friend Shel.

"Stan wants what?" Clementine asked intrigued.

"Nothing... just... it's another reason I wanna leave this place and just be thankful you're a little girl" Stephanie's told her, yet her eyes were shifty as she folded her arms across her chest in a defensive manner, this defiantly raised Clementine's awareness of what was really going on in this camp.

"I'll be off then" Clementine said heading towards the door of the stuffy room.

"Yeah and remember Bill put us together because he thought we wouldn't get on, don't tell anyone what we've been saying or they'll get suspicious if you know what I'm taking about?" Stephanie quizzed of her.

"I get it, we can't be friends in front of other people" Clementine explained fully understanding the situation.

"Smart girl, you keep silent and I'll keep on batting my eyelids, we'll have them all fooled" there was a childish excitement in Stephanie's voice that was infectious and made Clementine feel like she was in on a big secret too.

"Yeah" Clementine whispered, as she turned to the door, before she could open it, Stephanie caught her shoulder.

"By the way, this fell out your pocket, I thought it would mean a lot to you so I scooped it up under Bill's nose"

Clementine was truly thankful when Stephanie handed her the torn photo of Lee that she treasured, realising this gesture meant she had another friend and ally she thanked Stephanie one more time before departing towards the pen, securing the photo deep into the depths of her pocket and checking it was there every two to three seconds as a silent female guard quickly lead her towards the pen.

Clementine was thinking again... not about the pen but on about Stephanie's friend Roman. The one who had gone missing, along with many others. Her mind connected the dots as she thought about the bodies back at the river, shot and torn to pieces. Was that really the work of simply Johnny, Bonnie, Troy and Carver? She'd have to ask Bonnie if she had the chance, either way her mind flashed to Arvo's group and possible other bandits roaming the forest.

How safe was it out there? Walkers could be handled, but people... people were always different.

Yet as she entered the pen, the gathering herd outside made her shudder due to their sheer numbers and their groans and moans they were making, the majority of the group stood huddled by the small fire conversing in low voices over something that sounded urgent. Checking that her photo of Lee in her pocket one more time, she proceeded forwards.

Hoping that for once that the news would be good.

_Although she hugely doubted that. _


	13. About Sarah

**A/N: Okay guys thanks again for the continued support.**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- You do make some valid points and as for taking over the camp or fleeing it... I don't know at the moment it would be great to see them overthrow the camp and take control but then Lee's wise words would come back to haunt me _"Always keep moving"_ I felt the cabin group were presented at their best when moving (A House Divided), and Christa and Clementine survived for 16 months on the move. So I still don't know if they could make it a safe haven or not... either way keep the ideas coming!**

**And as for Cluke... no, no do not even speak of it! That shipping makes my skin crawl... Luke may be something of a character I no longer care about (episode 4 is too blame, before that I found him interesting and likeable enough, one of the reasons why I re-winded to episode 3) but still him and Clem as a couple is something I can never see (and it's wrong on every level) so my opinion on "Cluke" is very negative, personally I'd prefer a big brother- little sister relationship. (I don't know why people try and turn every friendship into a romance... ugh...) **

**AquaDestinyEmbrace- Thanks, Stephanie was a last minute choice to bring back but I saw Roman's body at the river and thought I'd tie up some loose ends. I also liked Stephanie as a character and wondered why she would steal from her original group with no given reason, so this story will give her a voice and more story to follow...**

**Right, long note aside on we go...**

* * *

****Clementine caught the general gist of the conversation through Kenny's rapid and hissed whispering that carried across the pen...

"...we all know it's high time that girl was taught how to survive..."

"... Kenny please..." Came a plead from Sarita.

"... Sarita, we all know it so we can't tiptoe around this shit any longer, that girl is a ticking time bomb she's gonna herself or us killed..." Came Kenny's snarl of a reply.

"Do not take that tone with me Kenny" Sarita snapped back at him.

"I'm sorry... it just..." Kenny said more clearly as Clementine approached, no one seemed to notice her as of yet.

"It's just nothing, what Carlos' wants for her is what he wants, you can just butt in!" Luke argued back, looking over at the bunk's Clementine saw Carlos bent over Sarah as he muttered some soothing words to her, as she was curled into a fetal position trying to sleep.

"What's happening?" she asked finally revealing herself as the others heads all whipped around at the sound of voice.

"Look here Luke, Clementine's younger than Sarah and she can look after herself better than all us adults combined, so your point about Sarah being a _little girl_ are fucking invalid!" Kenny argued to the red faced younger man, whose dark eyes were boring into Kenny.

"You don't get it! Sarah's different from Clem, I don't know if you clocked on but she has autism" Luke informed the group.

"Look I don't know shit about autism, but the girl ain't disabled it's all in her head and Doc's mollycoddling of her ain't helpin' matters!" Kenny roared to an enraged Luke... "Oh Boy another jolly argument between these two..." Clementine thought sarcastically taking a seat empty for her next to Rebecca.

"Kenny and Carlos got into a fight over his treatment of Sarah" Rebecca brought up Clementine with the latest news as Clementine nodded and accepted this, well she was being spoken to again. This was a start.

"Look we don't know how bad Sarah's case is! Carlos does! His a doctor and Sarah is his daughter and his problem we can't butt our heads in their personal business" Luke told the Floridian harshly as Kenny glared back at him, just when Clementine thought they had found common ground over her distaste of her too.

"Yeah well their personal business got that girl in the greenhouses killed today, she'd be dead in a minute if she was out there!" Kenny bellowed jabbing a long finger towards the eerie herd just outside the barricade. "You can't just blame Sarah for what happened today, that was Bill murdering anyone just to get the community against Clem" Luke finally seemed to be speaking some logic that caused Clementine's head to perk upwards.

"You don't blame for me for all that's happened then?" Clementine asked hopefully, was this forgiveness?

"No we can't blame you Clem, seeing that herd out there... maybe it was for the best added to the fact Rebecca could give birth at any second" Luke told her softly, now her allies were truly returning to her side.

"His right Clem" Rebecca said in the same warm tone "If anyone's to blame it's me... I mean if Bill hadn't have been hunting me and the baby down none of us would be here" she said sadly as she shook her head and looking down to her bump and gasped "Ooh, she's kicking again" she said a little wearily as Sarita got up from her chair "Do you need anything to drink?" She asked as Rebecca shook her head "No, I'm... I'm fine" Rebecca replied.

With that over, Kenny got back to the point "This isn't about whose to blame, what remains is that Sarah can't look after herself! That's what were talking about" always straight to the point, Kenny wanted something done about it, he was a man of action that didn't like to wait around, at times this could be his greatest flaw.

"It-ain't-our-business" Luke seemed to breathe one syllable at a time in a pent up rage building inside of him.

"Look can I have a say in this?" Mike asked, he had been silent the whole time along with Nick who watched the discussion with black ringed eyes, yet now he spoke up and before anyone could reply he dove straight into a speech

"Look, if were all gonna band together as a group we can't single out each other and blame each other for shit that goes down. We start doing that we start thinking like Carver and none of us want that. But I agree with Kenny on this one that girl needs to learn something. Can't you see Luke? we'd be doing her more good than harm than by instructing her and showing her what the world is really like" Finishing the speech Mike looked around at the group one by one.

"Give the man a medal, how is it a guy we just met knows more about what's good for Sarah, than the guys who've known for years or probably longer" Kenny praised Mike while shooting scalding daggers towards Luke and Carlos. Carlos was still bent over Sarah, whereas Luke returned Kenny's intense glare.

"Look... I have faith in Carlos, I believe he knows what's best for Sarah, that's all I'm saying, you'll end up getting her killed" Luke argued.

"Yeah, you have faith in Carlos, but none for me" Nick snapped sourly from the corner and too himself, yet no one overhead this quite rumble.

Clementine grew more and more irritated by Luke's stubborn stance on Sarah's condition, before he could open his mouth once again, Clementine found herself speaking up once again

"Look! Sarah has to grow up eventually Luke! I made that deal with Carver so he can't kill her and in here she might be traumatized by what she sees but we can help her prepare for what's out there!" She yelled giving her very clear opinion on the matter as Luke's face sunk.

"She's right, maybe we can all prepare for a better escape plan while in here" Sarita suggested making Clementine smile as she had a vote of confidence.

"I dunno you guys... Carlos won't like this..." Luke muttered defeated, realising he was fighting a losing battle.

"So!? Is Carlos you knight in shining armour Luke!? I don't give a damn what he wants!" Kenny yelled aloud.

"Will you be quiet over there! She can't sleep with your yelling!" Carlos shouted angrily back at the group huddled around the fire.

"We need to talk about her with you actually... Carlos" Kenny told him, Carlos seemed to freeze in place, he stood up with a face of thunder and seemed to stomp down on the cracked gravel in the pen. He reached the fireplace as everybody held a collective breath at what he was going to say (or scream) at them.

"I can hear every word you say, she can hear every word you say. Stay the hell away from her" he hissed with loathing pouring from his caramel coloured eyes.

"Carlos..." Rebecca began in a _"let's just try and talk it out sensibly without shouting"_ voice.

"No, she's my daughter and I will look after her" Carlos concluded with a powerful twist he turned to return to his daughter who Clementine could see was now silently crying on the bed and was holding her hands over her ears, as she whimpered and trembled.

"Someone has to try and convince him, or speak to her" Kenny instructed of the group.

"Well she's terrified of most of us other than her dad" Rebecca told the group at large.

"I could try to speak to her, she considers me a friend after all" Clementine offered however before anyone could reply a hated voice shot like a bullet through the pen "Hey! Quieten it the fuck down in there! Unless y'all wanna be walker mush!" Troy bellowed with his gun ever present on him as his charcoal black eyes steamed with hatred for the people in the pen. Everyone remained silent as Troy opened the shutter training the gun on the group.

"Jane! You're needed for a job up front!" Troy yelled at her, all heads turned to seemingly invisible short haired woman who had kept completely to herself (and had so far) hadn't muttered a word. At Troy's request she stood up silently and proceeded out of the shutter, Troy's black eyes slithered all over her body as she walked out and he closed shutter behind him with an all too familiar rattle.

"Now get to bed the rest of ya!" He commanded back to the pen dwellers before walking off after Jane.

"Wonder what the hell that was all about?" Kenny wondered aloud staring after them, "Whatever it is, there something fishy about that Jane woman, do you reckon she could be spying on us" Rebecca asked the group.

"I don't think so, I think she's just wary of us" Clementine answered, she knew Jane had good intentions and was not going to let the group fall suspicious of the mute woman, yet Clementine could really use Jane's support as of now.

"Well there's nothing we can do, we better just get some sleep" Kenny told the group, as one by one they drifted from the chairs back to their beds, the dreaded noises of the walkers filling in the void of conversation as they tried to sleep, a few "good nights" were exchanged as everyone managed to settle down after an action packed day. After a while the faint sound of gunfire was heard by the pen dwellers who were still awake and that this point this only seemed to be Clementine herself and Sarah (who was still sniffing slightly).

Finally (triple checking that Carlos was asleep) Clementine whispered "Sarah..."

She saw that behind her rose tinted glasses Sarah's eyes shot wide open "Clem..." she whimpered.

"I know the sounds of those guns are scary, but it's been a scary day huh?" she asked of the nervous teenager.

"Yeah, it's been a really scary day" Sarah agreed still trembling from head to foot, as the face of Becca flashed through her mind, with this she had one goal in her mind...

"Clem, I want to learn to how survive like you. Like the rest of the group was saying, I know it's going to be scary, but everything's been scary... so..." she didn't really know what she was getting herself into and she was disobeying her father. But this was something Sarah knew she wanted, she wanted to be tough even if she knew it was going to be really, really hard...

"That's good Sarah" Clementine praised her as they both stared at each other through the black haze of the night.

"Do you want to hear the next part of my story?" Clementine eventually asked when the gunfire grew too heavy.

"Yes please" Sarah said sweetly as she laid down in bed, as Clementine finished off the tale of the St. John's. The yellow station wagon they stole supplies from, the weeks at the motel following, the bandit attack, leaving it all behind, and she got up to the point of Carley's shooting.

"I thought you said that Lee liked Carley, so how can she just die?" Sarah asked in horror.

"I don't know Sarah, when Lilly shot her we were all shocked, _but sometimes a person you love just dies with no goodbye._ Lee was so sad after she died, but he stayed strong for me and _I knew I had to be strong too..."_ Clementine was saying, feeling herself get more fatigued as her "bedtime story" had finally put Sarah into a slumber (an uneasy one, yet still a slumber).

The herd hadn't torn the barricade down, by the sounds of things the community would easily pull through this gigantic herd and now Carlos and Sarita were living beyond there past life expectancies, this one thought made Clementine smile.

Guess she had managed to change things for the better. _For now._


	14. A Much Needed Talk

**A/N: Okay the reviews I'm getting mean a great deal (I have strange goal to get 80 plus reviews by chapter 20, It's just an odd ambition of mine)**

**AquaDestinyEmbrace- Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the group finally forgiving Clementine as I couldn't make them hate her forever, it would seem too childish of them to hold a grudge for that long, (considering Clem is a useful ally) **

**obsessed naruhnina fangirl- I always look forward to your reviews and we seem to agree on a lot regarding our distaste on episode 4. Because not only for me did it kill off Sarah and Nick pointlessly, but it made me hate Luke and Jane who were previously my two favourite characters. I mean Jane was a cold hearted survivalist and I liked her that way and Luke was a big brother who'd always put the group first, so the whole "sex" scene between the pair of them was completely out of character and destroyed any respect I gained for them. **

**But don't worry there won't be any "Lane" in this story (well not of yet and certainly no sudden sex like we saw the game) Jane was brilliant throughout the whole of episode 4 up until that "scene" I will not destroy such a good character the way I felt Telltale did. And as for people liking Troy... please... please tell me that's a joke? After what he did to Clementine? **

**Martial Arts Master- Glad you enjoyed the chapter, however I imagine that in the heat of the moment Kenny (with his lack of knowledge on Autism) would say something like that. He means for well for Sarah but his short on patience and fails to think about the consequences of his actions (the shooting at the lodge, the meat locker...) however that's why I like him, because his such a complex, flawed, yet loyal character. **

**I'm trying a slow, steady approach with Sarah's autism, rather than just suddenly turning her into a badass, not everyone can be like Clementine yet Sarah's evolution throughout this story I imagine will be great to write about. (Season one was great because we could teach Clem how to survive and watch her grow, why not do the same for Sarah?) **

**Anyway for anyone reading you've reached the end of this Author's note or story within itself. Now I'll shut up and let you read on...**

* * *

Clementine felt her heavy eyelids slowly flutter open, at first the silence pressed against her eardrums and she feared the worst as her heartbeat quickened, threatening to tear out of her ribcage, that was until she heard a grating snore from Kenny.

"Typical" she thought, she closed her eyes once again and for a few seconds she could pretend she was back in the motor inn, with Lee sleeping by her side. She used to lie by him when she got scared or had a nightmare... through the open window they could hear Kenny's snores from the opposite room, which Lee used to joke about on occasion. Closing her eyes tighter she could feel the chilly air sweeping through her fingers, just like it had done at the motor inn...

She opened her eyes only to find the dull grey of the bed above her. She sighed, wishing that she could have gone back further, that Lee was here. That she could have saved him by not trusting that stranger...

"No, you're here now these are your friends, you can't save Lee but you can save them" she thought to herself, all these people combined weren't a scratch on Lee. His death had devastated her in more ways than she could have ever imagined, her parents and Lee were gone, yet his final instruction to keep moving and surviving had given her a burning will to go on. To make him proud, when her new friends died she felt aimless and she physically lacked the food and supplies to go on.

Not this time.

As she opened her yellowish eyes once again she deduced that by this point in time, Carlos, Sarita, Nick and Sarah would be dead and gone. Yet the four of them were safely asleep in their bunks rather than dead and lurking as rotting walkers out the pen, she smiled as she changed that fact.

A morning mist had descended eerily on the hardware store as those lurkers that lay truly dead lay in their hundreds outside of the pen, lay there rotting slowly as flies swarmed and crawled across their grey flaky skin. The store had held out as the majority of the herd had moved onwards, for now the community was still solidly standing.

...

Clementine watched as everyone woke one by one, she noticed Rebecca place her hands to her stomach and the 11 year old suddenly realised that today was the day Rebecca's waters would break and tonight she would give birth.

"I hope she'll pull through" Clementine thought, Carlos was here, Carver had the medical supplies and surely she could rest easy here rather than moving after a mere few days. She would need a lot more rest and recovery and Clementine could ensure (that despite his psychopathic habits) that Carver would ensure the safety of the mother of his child as well as his own child...

Before anyone could utter a "Good morning" there was familiar clang at the shutter as Troy's loathed face popped up behind the steel shutter. "UP! GET THE FUCK UP! Y'ALL GOT A LOT OF SHIT TO DO TODAY!" He bellowed at them.

"Haven't we everyday?" Nick muttered to himself as he stood up tall approaching the shutter. Clementine trailed after his tall form as he stretched and tried to wipe the increasingly dark rings from under his eyes as Troy, Tavia and Carver himself spilled into the pen all looking rather fatigued as their guns remained trained on the pen group.

"Okay, as you probably heard last night we had a little herd on our hands, now as you'll be glad to know the herd was dealt with... however there were major damages to the barricades around this place and we had a few breaches..." he gave the pen dwellers a sinister smile at this.

"Seeing as y'all weren't fighting that herd, today you'll be repairing the barricades around this place to a top notch standard" He commanded with a snarl which meant harm upon anyone who failed this task.

"So much for the promise" Clementine thought bleakly, her eyes nervously found Sarah who still had a look of nervous apprehension on her face, then again as long as she wasn't in the greenhouses today.

"Sarah, Carlos and Nick you're with Vince by the expansion!" Carver ordered as they were led off and the groups were allocated

"Rebecca and Sarita you're with Hank..."

"Kenny and Mike you're with Russell..."

"Jane you're with Vera..."

"Clem and Luke you're with Bonnie on the southern expansion!" Carver ordered,Clementine had to check her ears to see if she had heard that right, if Carver had deliberately put her with two people he knew were her friends? Was this some sort of trick?

She looked into his past his crusty eyebrows and into his evil green globes.

"Well what are you waiting for? Off you go!" He demanded.

Clementine set off after Luke wondering what on earth had propelled Carver to allow this. Was he trying to get on her good-side?

...

"Guess that makes us workmates" Luke muttered happily to her the second they were out of Carver's range of hearing, escorted to Bonnie by a flat faced man who looked interested in the camp around him rather than what Luke or Clementine were saying.

"But why would Carver put us together though? I thought he was trying to turn the camp against me?" Clem asked of him.

"I dunno Clem" he said his brows furrowing in deep thought before he abruptly changed the topic "Do you know anything about DIY, or did your parents work in DIY?" he asked of her.

"No, my dad was an engineer and my mum was a doctor" she replied.

"Shoot, let's hope Bonnie knows what she's doing because I've been in business too long to know how hammer a nail on a wall" Luke joked as Clementine found herself laughing this was the Luke she grew to like, not the wired up excuse of a man she had been with during her final days.

"Didn't your parents ever work in DIY?" She counter asked to learn a little more about him.

"Nah Clem, they were entrepreneurs like me, it ran through our family" He mused with a small smile playing on his face, however before Clem could dig further into his past they reach where Bonnie stood waiting for them.

"Hey, Clem, Luke" she acknowledged them both with a somewhat shy voice.

"Howdy, so what are we hauling today?" Luke asked rather merrily this seemed to break through the tension building in the air as Bonnie let a familiar smile "Erm... yeah about that y'all probably wondering about why Carver would place us three together" she told them both.

"Well yeah, I mean if Carver's trying to turn the camp against Clem why put with us where we can stir the witch's cauldron?" Luke asked as they stepped into the chilly morning.

"Because of this" Bonnie said as Luke and Clementine gazed ahead.

A 10 foot wide gap was evident in the barricade as the rest of the barricade had been flattened and lay beneath the rotting corpses of dozens of walkers. Luke single cursed summed up everything Clementine felt at the moment.

"Shit"

"Yeah, Carver wants us on the most risky part of the barricade so if there's an accident all three of us will be pushing up the daises" Bonnie told them sadly as Clementine began to move the first walker of the barricade.

"Well then let's prove him wrong" she panted as she prepared to lift the second walker.

"Y'all keep on that Clem I'll be with you a second I need to talk to Luke about something" she said as they walked off, Clem rolled her eyes, she remembered what happened the last time Luke was alone with a woman... yet thankfully this time they returned after barely a minute and both were smiling warmly at each other although they weren't pulling any clothes back on...

"Me and Luke have cleared the air" Bonnie explained as she helped Clementine with a particularly chubby walker.

"That's good, so you trust us now?" Clementine asked as the rolled the walker around and off the fallen wooden barricade.

"After what happened to Becca yesterday I'm with you, Bill's... not the man he used to be" Bonnie said as she worked on lifting her next walker, however as she grabbed it by the arms it suddenly lunged forwards with a snarl and snapped at Bonnie's wrist...

"SHIT!" Bonnie yelped in surprise jumping back, the walkers rotting molars missing her pale skin by millimetres, as she fell backwards as it crawled towards her, Clementine could only watch in shock. However Luke had acted fast, bringing his foot down onto the walkers skull as it cracked with a sickening crunch and blood oozed from it's decomposing head...

"T-thanks..." Bonnie eventually stuttered to Luke, who helped the shaken woman to her feet, as Clementine rolled the walker from the barricade and onto the heap of growing bodies just outside of the compound, leaving a trail of brains behind it. She used her jacket to wipe the sheen of sweat away that had been building on her forehead and she also used her sleeve to try and block out the all to familiar yet horrible stench of decomposition...

"Still think staying here is any good any more Bonnie?" Luke asked with a raised eyebrow as she grinned shakily back at him "Okay, I get your point pretty boy I know it ain't safe here, but we got to play carefully if were plannin' to escape for good" Bonnie replied.

"Yeah you can help us from the inside, I know you can Bonnie, I trust you" He muttered in that southern drawl which seemed to convince Bonnie in an instant, those last three words made her swell with some sort of pride "Well if that's the case I'm the woman for the job" She mused happily.

"Yeah..." Luke replied.

They seemed to be gazing at each other in a very soppy manner, Clementine rolled her eyes and coughed "We've kinda got a job to do here" she reminded the pair of them, when the sparks flying through the air got to heated for Clementine's amusement.

"Ah! Right sorry Clem, just... making sure Bonnie's one of us" was Luke's excuse.

...

It took them another half an hour or so to remove the last of the walkers from off the barricade, during this time Clementine asked Bonnie about the bodies she found at the river and whether Carver and her were responsible for the onslaught in which she shook her head "No, we didn't come across anyone by a river or stream" she told her.

"You don't have to lie to us Bonnie. it's okay" Luke reassured her.

"If that was me or the others I would have told you by now, but I swear on all things holy it wasn't us" she repeated her statement causing the topic to close, with the primary suspects now being Arvo's group or some other bandits around the woods. Looking out to the horizon she couldn't see any approaching walkers across the large car park, but they always had a habit of turning up with no warning... and that was just walkers... these holes in the barricade could have let anyone in...

As they slowly (but surely) began to lift the chunks of barricade back into place, Clementine was about to ask Luke about his relationship with Nick. However before the first question could leave her tongue the door behind them burst open and a white faced Stephanie ran out to them.

"GUYS! HURRY! SOMETHING HUGE IS GOING ON BY THE EXPANSION!" She shouted.

"What is it!?" Bonnie shouted back a feeling of dread clouding the air as much as the morning mist was.

"I dunno, but I think someone's been killed! Everyone's gathered around there, Bill's giving a speech and all!" Stephanie informed them.

They didn't wait for her too finish, Luke flew off first towards the expansion with Bonnie and Clementine trailing him closely, with Stephanie bringing up the rear, bursting open the red emergency door, Clementine was shocked to see (what must have been everybody in this compound) funnelled into the walkway staring ahead of them. Using Luke has a blowtorch to blow through the crowd, Clementine hung close to his back as she squeezed past the familiar forms of Wyatt and Eddie...

"...What is this the lottery with one loser a day?" she overhead Eddie tell Wyatt.

"...I dunno but that's the third death in three days" Wyatt confirmed the news she had dreaded to hear, yet she didn't know who had died yet. Luke finally managed to get in front of the crowd and muttered "My God..." upon the sight, Clementine peered from behind his back...

The barricade had been broken in a place and three walkers lay dead with the all too familiar bullet wounds present on their forehead, however the site of a lifeless and bled out Carlos underneath them is what caused Clementine to gasp and her gut to sink. She thought she had saved him but now the doctor lay cold and still, bite marks littering his corpse as a red hole in the middle of his head told Clementine he wouldn't be coming back.

But that was not all, she spotted a hysterical Sarah twitching wildly, her eyes like a never ending waterfall as her screams were muffled by a binding across her mouth. Troy held onto the girl tightly, with an evil glint evident in his eyes "Stay fucking still you little bitch" Clementine heard him snarl at the grieving girl, never had she wanted to hurt someone more than she wanted to hurt Troy at that moment.

Turning, she also saw Nick bent on the floor, blood dripping from his face as he panted in pain, his cap blocked out how badly his face had been beaten, but Clementine knew it can't have been good. Another man in his late 20's or early 30's also looked fairly beat up with bruises dotted on his face, and blood flecked in his greasy black hair. The Asian man was gazing at Carver in fear as he Clem could tell (by his deep breathing) that he was trying to remain calm.

Carver stood in the midst of it all, his eyes instantly found Clementine as she stood forward next to where Rebecca was watching the scene with eyes as wide as saucepans.

"Now were all here, I'd just like to clarify what happened and what's gonna happen..." he pointed back to Nick, Sarah and the Asian man "To these three".

Clementine gulped, she wasn't going to like this. Not in the slightest. Her head felt dizzy she needed to lie down and... and take a break!

Yet (as she knew he would) Carver spoke...


	15. A String Of Screw Up's

**A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for the continued support!**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl: Thanks (as always) for your great reviews, and as for the choices I felt like the one's in episode 1 weren't that important (other than the Christa scenario and Pete and Nick) but that can be forgiven as it was Clem-centric episode, I really enjoyed episode 1. In episode 2 the choices felt like they would hold a lot more impact, in fact the whole episode was very Nick-centric with a sprinkling of Luke and Kenny at the side. But either way the hostage situation and character development were perfected, making it my favourite episode of the season.**

**In episode 3 it felt like a bit of a drag, and they sorta ruined Carver's character (although he made a great villain still) and wasted the 400 days characters. However other than that I loved the whole group planning and dynamic in episode 3 and the ending was brilliant. The episode was very Sarah-centric and helped build on her character further, I was pumped to how the choices in Episode 3 would affect episode 4.**

**Episode 4 started out masterfully with the decision you made whether to cut off Sarita's arm or not was done brilliantly. However after Nick and Sarah's deaths the episode went downhill fast. Completely throwing away two characters that the previous two episodes focused on and making Kenny and Luke very dislikeable (compared to what they were in episode 2) and really the choices in this episode didn't matter. Rebecca still dies and Arvo still robs you...**

**The choices do not match those made in season 1. (Carley and Doug and the meat locker...)**

**Anyway those pictures you sent were hilarious, Carlos' made me laugh the most, I'm sad I killed him off now... Must. Protect. Daughter.**

**However while browsing around I found another picture I'll think you'll like which sums up one of the key relationships I'm planning to develop in this story.**

**Kids by Conoyura, (I couldn't get the link up as it keeps deleting but you should find the picture if you type that in) **

**The Benevolent Scriber- Thanks for your review and opinions, you'll find out this chapter that the situation with Carlos' was more than met the eye initially. But the rest of your opinions were pretty damn valid and you gave a solid argument on why the group should try and overthrow the camp. I'll defiantly take your views in consideration as the opinion of the reader means a lot to me.**

**And the rest of you, AquaDestinyEmbrace and Rebloxic especially thanks for the continued support!**

* * *

"Now see here" Carver began as he gestured to Carlos' mangled body beneath him as several people store in horror. Clementine found it strange that everybody in this community was now crammed into this tiny space as she gazed at them all. With the expectations of her and Sarah (and beforehand Becca) nobody here seemed to be under the age of 16. Grizzled adults made up the majority of Carver's camp and there must have been 50 to 40 people here altogether.

Yet Carver could speak above them all and seemed to lead them and bind them as one group.

"Carlos here was our only doctor here people, I don't think you realise how valuable he was too us, with my child on the way and with all the injuries we suffered after last night..." he shook his head sadly as Rebecca's hands flew defensively over her bump at these words.

"So you're probably all wondering why our beloved doctor is lying as dead as a dodo" he asked the large group as he scanned a sea of faces, a cold breeze ruffled the hairs of many observing the scene silently, but finally Luke spoke up.

"Jesus Bill what the fuck have you done!?" He snarled with hate towards the older man who only smiled back at him.

"Believe it or not but this tragedy had nothing to do with me Luke, ah no, you see, Carlos' death was the result of three major screw up's by these three people" he indicated the hysterical Sarah, the beaten Nick and the other Asian man who looked rigid as Carver approached him, Clementine noticed that Carver's large hands were balling into fists.

"Firstly Vince here was supposed to bring Carlos inside nearly half an hour ago to treat some of the injured we had waiting, but Vince here couldn't do that and as a result rather than staying safely inside he was out here, henceforth when the breach occurred Carlos was here, resulting in his death. Vince do you want to explain yourself to the group?" Carver asked with in a horrible honeyed fashion, in other words... the calm before a violent storm.

"He wouldn't leave his daughter" The man called Vince stated in a cracked voice as he looked up at Carver, just in time to see his leaders knuckles soar towards him.

"INVALID ANSWER!" Carver roared as his knuckles connected with Vince's face, a horrible cracking sound re-vibrated around the camp as Bonnie gasped aloud and charged forward, Stephanie had to hold her back as she cawed out desperately "Vinnnncceeeee!"

"You'll only make it worse!" Stephanie tried to tell her as a few other nameless faces tried to tug Bonnie back by the shoulders, "BILL STOP THIS!" Bonnie screamed as Carver second punch caused Vince's head to snap to the side horribly as blood leaked in a torrent from his mouth. Oddly enough upon Bonnie's request Carver's grip went slack, panting and flecked with dollops of Vince's blood he looked up at the rest of his group.

"Weakness! Incompetence! Vince displayed both of these qualities today! He couldn't get those under his supervision to work! It won't be forgiven! But I wouldn't dream of killing someone whose perfectly capable of work and we need as many numbers as we can get! So as a result, Vince you'll be sentenced to the pen until you behaviour is reformed!" Carver barked with loathing towards Vince who was now crumpled into a heap on the floor, he didn't even moan at his verdict. No doubt in his mind he was just happy to be alive.

"Now somebody get him the hell outta here!" Carver snapped to his group, Mike and Kenny emerged from the crowd and as one they dragged Vince by the shoulders and placed him by Bonnie as the rest of the group cleared way for their injured comrade. "Are you alright?" Bonnie kept asking Vince rapidly he tried to stand up striaght again "I'm fine Bonnie... I'm... fine..." he muttered while holding his head in his hands.

"So you'll spare Vince because he can work, but you can't do the same for Becca?" came a hiss of hatred from Shel. Who had steeped forward with silent fury lined on all of her features, Carver let out another grin "Ah Shel you see... how do I put this... but I never liked Becca anyway" he said giving her a taunting smile as Shel bloated like a frog, ready to pop...

and she did, in that second she slapped Carver hard across the mouth, the smack echoing throughout the camp as some people watched in awe. Clementine heard Kenny mutter "Where are the cheerleaders for this?" as he gazed at the sullen and shocked faces of the watching population. No doubt everyone (including Clementine) was fearing what was going to happen to Shel in these few seconds following the slap. As Shel stood tall and unwavering Carver slowly wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth using his index finger.

"Feisty girl" he muttered before he swung his fist and with another CRACK, Shel found herself on the floor, dazed and bruised.

"Jesus Bill you can't hit a woman, that's just wrong!" A young black man behind Clementine shouted in outrage and what Bill had done.

"Be quiet Russell!" he snapped before he turned back to where Shel shot daggers at him from below "Pen for you too" he grunted.

"I'll go there gladly" she said calmly as she stood up and marched over to where the others were bent over Vince, as Stephanie stared at her friend in awe inspecting the bruise on the side of her face.

"Shel..." she began.

"Save it" she assured her friend as gently as she could. However as she did she glared at the floor, her whole body shaking in rage, as disgruntled mumbles began to spread across the population of the compound like wildfire, it's reach and intensity growing by the second.

"QUIET!" Carver boomed in his loudest, most powerful voice which blew out the wildfire of disgruntlement in an instant as the 40 plus people were silent once again. With the fire of rebellion truly extinguished for now, Carver continued to ramble.

"Okay now for fuck up number two, Sarah here was originally the one to get caught by the walkers when they first broke through, but Carlos had to be a hero and push her out of the way. Hence he got tangled up with the walkers and did you think that she would bother to save her daddy?" he turned to Sarah as Clementine felt her breath get thicker...

"No, she simply ran and cried like a baby in the corner as she watched her daddy get eaten alive! What was worse is that she had a hammer in her hand. She could have killed at least one walker and saved her daddy and our doctor, but no this cowardly excuse for a girl has had a string of screw up's lately and this is her final straw!" he now bent down to where Sarah's head was held in place by Troy she tried to thrash and twist and turn to avoid his gaze but it was pointless.

"Maybe now that you're daddy's dead because of you, you'll learn to become a functioning member of society" he growled at her, even though she was gagged, Sarah's screaming and sobbing was very audible. Making even the hardest and most grizzled survivors in Carver's group shuffle a little uncomfortably.

"Now..." he went on walking away from Sarah as if he was on a causal stroll "You'll be glad to know Vince shot the three walkers, but by this point our beloved doctor was dead, thanks to his negligence, and Sarah's habit of being a pansy. Yet despite these traits this barricade was the strongest around the store. That's why I sent Carlos to work here, even for a little while so I could ensure he could be safe here and yet... thanks to a certain someone, our doctor is still dead despite my best efforts" at this point he turned to where Nick was still bent over on the floor. Clementine couldn't take it any more. If Carver pulled out his gun she was running forward to save him no matter what.

"The last and the greatest fuck up, all thanks to Nick here" Carver hissed cruelly as he grabbed Nick by the scruff of the neck and pulled him upwards, his face was a mess of swollen wounds, no doubt inflicted by an earlier beating by Carver. Nick looked petrified as through his puffy eyes he tried desperately to search for any familiar, friendly faces.

"You see Nick here is an incompetent lousy, good for nothing human being, the barricade that collapsed was the one he had been working on and he did a shitty job people! Nails not hammered in properly, all planks of wood were loose..." Carver shook his head as he gave Nick a look of hatred so intense it chilled Clementine down right to very bone... Carver would kill him. He was going too...

"I want to kill you so badly... you have no idea how much I despise people like you... weak people..." Carver was breathing down Nick's ear. Clementine couldn't do this... she had to help.

"Stop!" she yelled rushing forward "It wasn't Nick's fault! He was just tired! We all are and you put us in the pen... the beds are uncomfortable..." Clementine began to explain but Carver cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Oh but it was Clem, it was all Nick's fault. Like you said you were all tired but only _he_ fucked up, well him and Sarah, seeing as their already in the pen I can't send them back there" Carver stated coldly reaching for the gun on his holster...

"NO! We had a deal Carver!" Clementine reminded him, it was only then she realised she was a lone voice as 40 plus audience watching her. She felt a red flush creep up her neck gazing upon many astonished faces.

"It's Bill, Clem and who said I was going to kill them? I'm still with agreeing to your promise. I'm keeping them alive, but alas I can't have them in my community they way they are. So I've devised a logical conclusion that will suit us both fine" Carver said as he looked back at Nick and Sarah.

_"They have 10 minutes to pack whatever they have and get the hell outta here" _

There was a disbelieving silence.

"It's an exile, it's not killing them it's having them in the outside world. All they have to do is find bag loads of supplies to prove their worth as true survivors. Clearly no one else can help them, so they have to help themselves and if they try to sneak back without these supplies they'll be shot on site, I think that's fair, don't you Clem?" he asked mockingly.

Clementine vision went red, she wanted to slap Carver, to punch him, to shoot him on the spot as causally as she had shot walkers in the past. An exile for a beaten Nick and catatonic Sarah was as good as a death sentence. The two wouldn't last five minutes in the walker infested woods and if they survived walkers they were bandits all around...

"That's killing them!" Clementine roared, losing it she charged forwards but in that second Troy let Sarah fall into a heap to the floor, as he lunged forwards and whacked the butt of his gun against Clementine's face. Clementine felt herself fly a few inches off the ground before she hit the tarmac violently, with stars in her vision and her cheek stinging in agony. This was something she hoped to avoid this time round, still at least her (and most likely many other's) perception on Troy being an asshole were solidified.

"You little shit" he snarled to Clementine who glared back up at him.

At this point Sarah lost the plot, "DADDY!" she screamed as she bolted upwards, she whizzed through the dense crowd like a bullet, in the process however she tripped over Vince's ankle and went flying to the floor, he rose tinted lenses slipped from her nose and clattered onto the floor. Lifting herself up (with a large graze now present on her leg) Sarah frantically ran forwards, her foot snapping her glasses clean in half after she stomped on them. Unaware of this as she simply trying to get away from the whole scene frantically) she pushed and shoved her way to freedom and ran off howling to the sky...

"She's gone back to pen" a female voice informed the group after a tense silence.

"Well then go fetch her, she and Nick have ten minutes, I'll be waiting for them by the south hanger door" Carver concluded as he turned away and began to walk towards the compound.

"You're a liar Carver! You've killed them! You're going to wish you hadn't done this!" Clementine found herself shouting at Carver, who simply laughed in his deep voice.

"I haven't killed them Clem, if they can bring back the supplies, they're alive and well, try to have a bit more _faith in your friends_" he mocked, before he made his departure, with his lapdog Troy tailing his every move however he did bark out some last second instructions...

"EVERYONE BACK TO WORK! YOU GUYS IN THE PEN I'LL GIVE YOU TIME TO GET YOUR FRIENDS READY AND THEN YOU'LL GET BACK TO WORK!" He commanded the word "work" was hammered into their brains so much that many simply dispersed the scene as if nothing major had happened. Although they did speak curiously amongst themselves.

"C'mon" Luke said gently prying Nick from the floor and helping the taller man lean onto his shoulders, to his surprise he was helped by none other than Shel, who helped pry up the taller man with a look of determination in her eyes "Let's get him moving" she told Luke sternly who simply nodded. As they dragged Nick along and back to the pen, Luke asked him "It ain't your fault okay Nick? Look you're gonna be fine man, I mean you've got..."

"Just let me die" Nick groaned in a cracked, raw voice.

Luke shared a concerned glance with Clementine who was walking behind them (as Bonnie had helped Clementine to her feet) right now Clementine's heavy gut was making her squirm more than the slash on her cheek.

_No matter what it would take, she had to get Nick and Sarah back to this community alive._


	16. Something To Fight For

**A/N: Okay here we go...**

**Marital Arts Master- I just felt thought after episode 2 he would try and sway Clementine further away from the cabin group, but he went full psycho in episode 3 (and it's kinda how I write him now) he was still a brilliant villain as I said, but I just think he flopped a little in episode 3 as I was expecting him to be another stranger who would manipulate Clementine and make the player question their morales. (Then again I suppose Clem is older and wiser and not as easily manipulated or fooled as she was when the stranger fooled her) **

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- I beginning to like our discussions, review to Author's note wise (I might start sending you PM'S in future to avoid these mass author notes) never the less the suggestions you left in your review were brilliant. I particularity liked the one with the bamboo stick noise thing that would draw hordes of walkers away from the community. (How could someone like Carver not think of that?) and I forgot about the trucks as well and fuel and all that... be noted that everything you (or anyone else suggests) is taken into consideration. And although it might not be evident in these chapters you can rest assured in the long term you'll begin to see such ideas come into effect. **

**Right then, without further ado onto the next chapter...**

* * *

Clementine had made the grave mistake in thinking that wits is what ultimately held a community together, wits, a calm mind, and a good set of morales. That's what they all had back at the motor inn? Didn't they? Yet that fell apart.

Here at Howard's Hardware the population were unified under a fist of fear, Carver wasn't stupid enough to rule alone he had selected the most submissive of sheep to follow him. By giving them higher positions and privileges he deluded them into thinking they were special and through this they grew confident... they wanted to protect the leader that had been kind to them. By bullying those lower than them to further there growing ego's and sense of importance.

In other words. A dictatorship. Plain and simple.

In this "Dictatorship" Clementine had tried everything to keep her friends alive, from deals, to bargains to begging and even to point blank manipulation of others. Her wits were wasted as she learned a simple rule.

_If the Dictator didn't like something there was nothing you could do to save it. _

She thought about that sadly as her gaze lingered on Nick, broken, beaten... everything she ever cared about ended up this way. She had seen what had happened to him before... him a walker and Sarah ripped to shreds it was all happening again. Carlos was dead killed by walkers just as he had done beforehand...

She had blown her second chance and now they were going to die under Carver's tyrannical rule. The man was too far gone, he would pick off the pen group one by one until he had complete control and the only thing he wanted from the pen group was the baby in Rebecca's womb. That along with their slave work, once the hardware store was fortified enough... they'd be disposed of.

She couldn't say or do anything. The ten minutes were ticking away too fast... and despite her determination to save her friends, she couldn't find any words to say to the pair of them. A cluster of people were around where Nick sat slumped, and they also clumped around a cationic Sarah who was gazing blankly into space, not listening to word anyone said to her...

Clementine sighed. It was pointless, even if she spoke to them what difference would it make? She could feel herself giving up once again, wanting to place a bullet into her skull to end this endless pain, misery and fear she had to endure.

However as memories of her "death" had surfaced, so did the last thing she saw... Lee's smiling face. She pulled the familiar photograph from her pocket as she gazed longingly at the still image of her former guardian "What would you do Lee?" she asked quietly of him, of course she would receive no answer but usually looking at him (even if it was only a still image) gave her a grain of confidence and security that she was once filled with when standing next to Lee.

What would Lee do? Well hand't Lee helped her? She was a lost cause at the start and yet here she was nearly 2 years later, still standing and still fighting. Didn't Lee always try to plough on when the odds were stacked against him? Didn't he travel through the whole of Savannah and all those herds just to get to her?

And here she was not even to travel a few feet to get to her friends? Lee would be ashamed, one setback (in this case, Carlos' death) could not lead to a series of other deaths, she may have been just a little girl, but Lee was just one man against thousands of walkers. If he could do it, then she knew she had it in her to do it as well.

Recovering from her temporary sadness as she placed the photo of Lee in her trouser pocket, she snapped out of her stupor. She had been given a second chance and she was going to waste it by standing there moping?

Hell no!

She marched towards a sunken faced Nick, Luke had placed a hand on his shoulder and was muttering kind words of encouragement to him "Yoou gotta be tough man... you need to protect Sarah..." yet these words didn't seem to penetrate through to Nick's skull without wasting any more time Clem barged right past Luke and slapped Nick hard across the face.

"Clem!" Luke yelled in shock, but she wasn't going to stop because of that, and sure enough her slap had seemingly brought Nick back down to earth as his sapphire eyes came back into focus, he blinked rapidly looking up at girl in some sort of sense of bewilderment.

"That hurt" he finally muttered.

"I don't care Nick, you're going to find those supplies and you're going to protect Sarah and get back here!" she ordered as viscously as Carver would (yet she was being cruel to be kind...)

"Clem... why should I go on? Carlos is dead because of me and I can't protect myself, how the hell am I gonna protect her?" he gestured at Sarah who was curled up beside a bunk a few feet away. "Look" he said "You should forget about us two just make sure that bastard Carver pays for what he did to us..."

Nick was making himself a martyr, something Clementine would not allow.

"No! Shut up Nick! You're coming back here whether you like it or not!" She screamed.

"Why the hell do you care so much!?" he finally snapped losing his very short temper as his body tensed up and he prepared to yell whatever came to mind to win this argument.

_"Because I know what's it's like to lose a father Nick" _

There was silence at these words, Nick's argument dissolved on his tongue and slithered down his throat as he remained speechless. Kenny instantly grasped what Clementine was saying...

"Clem..." he murmured weakly.

"When Lee died I felt so bad too. Like I was too blame for what happened to him. I know you blame yourself for what happened to Pete and Matthew and Carlos... but I did the same. One of the men I was travelling with before, I left my gun unsupervised and some scavenger picked it up and shot him... and it was all my fault..." Clem was saying as Omid's face flashed in her mind.

"Omid?" Kenny asked in horror as Clementine slowly nodded, as he muttered a curse under his breath.

"So, yeah were all gonna mess up at one point. But that makes us human I messed up and I hated myself and I still do, but despite everything..."

"Clem's here been a help to us all. Don't hate yourself Clem I dunno where we'd be without you" Luke reassured her as she smiled. This was the point of having friends as his words convinced her more than her own words ever could, and with that in mind she muttered her concluding words to Nick.

"So please come back I don't want to lose another friend. And you still owe me" Clementine said with a small smile, remembering how Nick would repay her for her honest confession that she was the one who had grassed the group's plan to Carver. At these light words Nick seemed to stand slowly but steadily. Finally he spoke...

"I want to come back" he began as his voice started to crack "I really do, but how the hell I am meant to get past all those walkers and protect Sarah, huh? I mean have you heard of anyone who can just sneak past walkers undetected?" he asked of them all.

_"Actually, I do it all the time" _

A new voice to many, which left many staring. However now couldn't have been a more perfect time for Jane to finally break her silence as every head clustered around Nick whipped around to face her.

"First words I ever hear you say and it's just some crazy shit" Mike remarked.

Ignoring this Jane ploughed on as she spoke to Nick directly.

"You can sneak past those things, if you cover yourselves in their guts, they can't tell you from one of them". She told him.

"That sounds like bullshit" came the expected reply from Nick.

"Trust me, I've been through herds before, it's your best and only shot if you wanna make it back here alive. Although God knows why, as this place is biggest pile of shit I've ever had the misfortune of coming across" She muttered dryly as her brown orbs locked onto the outside world.

"Why should I trust the advice you're giving me?" Nick demanded.

"Because I've done it too" Clementine spoke up at this point, determined to increase Nick's chances of survival.

"What? When?" Kenny asked in rapid succession his eyes wide in curiosity.

"Lee figured it out, we used it to escape the marsh house" she informed him as Kenny looked at the celling in awe "Wow... Good one Lee" he said as if complimenting his friend's ghostly phantom as if it were in front of him.

"I can smother myself in guts, but Sarah..."Clementine was glad to see an familiar fire in his eyes, he hadn't given up as of yet, but Sarah could still prove a huge problem for him. "'I'll speak to Sarah" she reassured them as she walked over to the larger crowd around Sarah.

"You gotta do something Clementine" Rebecca was on her almost instantly as sweat trickled down the pregnant's woman's forehead, "Sarah's not listening to any of us she'll die out there for sure!" Rebecca was nearly on the verge of hysteria, Carlos' death had already saddened her and the thought of losing sweet Sarah as well was a thought that tore her heart right from her ribcage.

"It's okay. I'm her friend I'll do whatever it takes to get her to listen to me" Clementine tried to reassure Rebecca as she walked past the Bonnie and Shel and reached to where Sarita was bent down and speaking to a catatonic Sarah "... your father was a good man Sarah, this is no way you're fault, We all care about you here, we all want you to come back..." yet her words trailed off to nothingness as she gave Bonnie a sad shake of her head. To them there was no getting through to her.

"Hey... Sarah... Clem's here. She wants to speak to you" Bonnie told her gently, Sarah still didn't respond as Clem fell to her knees next to her friend.

"Hey" Clementine greeted her with.

At the sound of her friend's voice, Sarah's eyes came back into focus as she looked directly into her friend's eyes "Hey" she sobbed trying to sound more calm than she actually was.

"Nick's going to cover you in Walker guts" was the first thing she said to draw Sarah's interest. Clementine knew the coddling of her was overdone and was not something that would drive her from her catatonic state. She tried that last time in that trailer and it hadn't gotten Sarah to move, now she had to try and scare tactic and sure enough Sarah responded.

"That's gross! I can't do that!" she panicked as she began to hyperventilate.

"You have too Sarah, the walkers can't you see you if you do that. I should know I've done it before and so has Jane" Clementine told her autistic friend as Rebecca turned to where Jane stood nearby "Since when do you become so supporting?" she shot the question at Jane in suspicion.

"I can't just sit around and let people die when they have a fighting chance" was Jane's simple reply. However Clementine knew that deep down she was thinking about her sister Jaime and she didn't want Sarah to end up the same way her younger sister had ended up. Jane had left Jaime behind and survived by herself, but her sister could no longer be helped.

Maybe this was Jane's way of trying to redeem herself in her sister's eyes by helping some strangers through a tough time. Then again would the group be stable enough this time for Jane to stick around? Clementine hoped so, she had grown very fond of Jane in the short time they spent together.

Breaking Clementine's train of thought on Jane. Sarah responded to her earlier comment.

"I can't Clementine, the walkers won't be able to see me but I can barely see myself without my glasses" she whined as she wiped a few more tears from her wide eyes.

"Stay close to Nick, he'll protect you" Clementine instructed her.

"You say it like it's so easy, but not everyone can be like you" Sarah stated sadly as she sniffed and hung her head in shame, she felt so awful about herself, especially after Carver's words to her.

"I know, but you have to try and be tough Sarah, you have to come back. Besides you never got to hear the rest of my story" Clementine smiled at this extra touch and it seemed like these words got Sarah to look up at her with hopeful eyes.

"C-can I listen to rest of it, If I come back?" she asked.

"Yeah, you will come back Sarah and then you can tell me about your stories with Nick" Clementine told her.

Sarah wiped away another salty tear and for the first time since her father died, she cracked a small almost invisible smile. Yet it was there "T-that sounds cool" she mused.

"Yeah, now promise me you'll come back" Clementine needed to know that Sarah had something to fight for that she wasn't going to simply just "give up" or have another breakdown out there.

"I... I'll pinkie promise I'll come back... If you'll be there for me when I come back" Sarah offered extending her pinkie finger.

"That's a promise" Clementine agreed as their pinkie's connected in mid air. The two shared a smile before the dreaded sound of the shutter opening once again averted all eyes.

"Alright! It's time haul ass you two... BONNIE!" Carver roared looking over to where the redhead stood "I said those in the pen only, what the fuck are you doing here!?" he demanded to know.

"I... I'm sorry Bill, I'll get back to w-work n-now..." she stuttered.

"Yeah, you do that" Carver snarled, as Bonnie walked out of the pen with her head hung low, she wanted to have one last glance of Nick and Sarah but was ushered out before she could even be allowed that small request. Clementine had to admire how Bonnie was willing to risk her position in the community to try and help Sarah and Nick through a tough time.

Proving they could pull together. As a group.

"All right! Nick! Sarah! Time's up!" He bellowed as Jane quickly went up to Nick "Remember this, hit the walkers in the knee, should get them on the ground, once there down there it will be easier to bash their heads in"

"Um... Thanks" Nick said feeling a bit overwhelmed by the advice he was getting.

A few feet away, Sarah had begun to panic once again "Clem, I'm scared!" She admitted as Carver glared at her, beckoning her to come forwards "You'll be fine Sarah... I promise" were Clementine last words to her, as she finally managed to walk forwards. Her legs like jelly, her vision blurry. Her father's death still replaying in her mind as she stood next to Nick.

"Alright out the hanger door you go, keep moving on to the woods or you'll be shot. Bring back bag loads of supplies... ammo, fuel, food whatever as long as there's a lot of it. If you come back empty handed then again you'll be shot on site, so now's your chance to prove your worth" Carver told them.

"Let's get this over with" Nick muttered.

Before he could move forwards another step, Luke felt a sudden urge to embrace Nick in a brotherly hug, as Nick felt the air get squeezed out of his lungs "Come back man" was all Luke could say to him. Those three words motivated Nick more than anything else, Luke wasn't bullshitting him with the usual sugar-coated talk. These three words were raw and signalled the true friendship between the pair lying beneath layers of distrust and anger.

Luke released Nick as Carver shouted "Enough of this mushy shit! You lot get back to work! And you two get outta my community and come back as better people or die trying!" he pointed his gun at the pair, as the others slowly watched them fade from their site.

Clementine's last glance of Sarah and Nick was of Nick trying to stand tall and Sarah gazing fearfully back at her. Clementine gave her a thumbs up as she rounded a corner and was gone for good.

"Quit staring! You folk have got work to do!" Carver was now waving his gun around like a madman (which he was) still, the group broke out of their saddened stupor's as they slowly but surely went back to their posts.

Following Luke, Clem could hear him sniffing slightly and decided to leave him to his business, too many that was it for Sarah and Nick the two were (as of now) dead. No one would dare hope they'd be alive or actually survive this.

But Clementine had seen them dead before, Sarah hadn't been so responsive the first time, yet now she had been. It was a small change but one that filled her with hope. They may have had the odds stacked against them...

But so had Lee and he overcame every obstacle he faced. Right to very end.

Nick and Sarah _were_ going to get through this. Damn what anyone else thought.


	17. A Burden and A Baby

**A/N: Once again thanks for all the reviews, and I corrected most of the errors present in the last chapter (thanks for pointing them out) so for now I'm going to keep this note short.**

**So this chapter (as you could probably tell from title) will be Nick-Sarah centric. So the POV of the story will shift slightly but Clem will still appear in this chapter, however expect a lot of Nick and Sarah in this chapter. **

* * *

Nick was never Luke, Nick couldn't sweet talk a girl like Luke could (although Luke was turned down many times) yet his charismatic words could win just about anyone over, whereas Nick would socialise with people via awkward muttering or angry outbursts.

Luke was better than him in every aspect, Luke was smarter than him, Luke was better looking than him, Luke was more athletic than him, Luke was friendlier than him, Luke was...

He could go on forever, but one thing that Nick had learned is that in no way was he better than his best friend. His uncle's constant criticism of his antics and distant bad memories with his own father had left Nick a very diminished figure, thriving like bacteria in his best friends shadow. Luke would enter a scene all bright and friendly, with his bright clothing (symbolised by his neon orange shirt and bright blue trousers this time round) to showcase his bright personality and lurking in the shadows was Nick. With dark hair and clothing, he couldn't lift a candle to Luke.

"It's Luke's friend"

"Yeah that's Luke's best friend..."

Those labels had stuck to him in the past, never had Nick had an identity of his own, he was simply his best friend's lapdog, a sheep that followed that shepherd. Yet despite this Nick felt comfortable in this shadow, he had low self esteem so he knew he wouldn't amount to much anyway, however Luke could and would and most of his life had been spent supporting his best friend while casting his own feelings aside. He didn't matter.

In the wake of the apocalypse Luke had started changing, becoming more emotionally distant from him and Nick's outbursts (usually in defence of Luke) had switched onto him. Never had Nick been more aware of his own identity than after Pete had died. Pete was his lifeline, his instructor in every way his true father and after his death Nick just wanted to blot out the world feeling as though his purpose was no longer needed.

But he still had Luke. That kept him going.

Then Matthew happened and now Carlos, he should have just let himself die in that cellar. The group would have spared a lot of food and hassle without him around. But now he became much more aware of himself as he stepped out of the hardware store with Sarah by his side.

Stepping away from the crowd, he tried to hard to be quiet after the incident at the ski lodge and yet he had fucked up once again and now he felt a crushing pressure as the eyes of many guards lay upon his shoulders. _His_ shoulders. Not Luke's, not Clementine's, not Sarah's _his_ shoulders. He had to be the man he wasn't if he was going to get himself and Sarah back here alive.

_"Come back man" _

Those three words, they stuck in his head. Whatever trace of friendship he had survived the obstacles of the apocalypse lingered in those three words. Nick had to get back to repair his friendship with Luke. To find out what the underlying issue Luke had with him, because Nick wasn't going to give up on Luke so easily. He wouldn't give up on someone he had known his whole life. Nick was 21 the last time he checked, for 20 of his years of life he had known Luke and the only year he hadn't known him was when he was a squealing newborn.

He had to get back to Luke. He had to help his friend and he would ensure Sarah came back with him, the only way he could apologise for his major fuck up, (to apologise to Carlos) was to ensure that his daughter did not meet a similar fate.

"MOVE!" Tavia demanded training her rifle on the two former pen dwellers.

"I'm scared Nick" Sarah squeaked from beside him, as her body stiffened and she clung onto the tall's man waist, her nails digging hard into his skin...

"It, will be all right Sarah, we just need to keep moving and we need to find something sharp" He encouraged her, yet his voice was raspy himself as his heart beat at a million miles an hour as he gazed across the open car park there was no corner to sulk too. No shadow to hide behind now. He felt naked and vulnerable in such an environment.

He trudged forward slowly, it hadn't helped that Carver hadn't bothered to give him or Sarah any food or weapons, so Nick kept his eye on the ground for something sharp that he could use against a walker...

"I can't see anything!" Sarah panicked clinging to him harder, squinting as everything seemed fuzzy without her glasses.

"It's alright I got something" Nick replied as he scooped up a shard of broken glass that gleamed at him through the midday sunlight as the last tendrils of morning mist faded out of existence. Twirling the sharp shard in his hands, he ran his fingers across it's jagged edges "This will do" he thought proud with himself as he held the shard at arm's length.

"I can hear a walker!" Sarah squeaked just as Nick himself heard that all to familiar moaning, he turned to see the rotting corpse of a large man approaching him, he drew his arm backwards and held his breath as the walker or lurker (depending on what you wanted to call them) approached him with it's arm's outstretched and it's jaw snapping.

He remembered Jane's advice just as the walker was upon him, grunting he kicked the walker (with force) on the kneecap, the walker collapsed to the floor in a tangled heap, Nick brought the shard of glass down on the walkers' decomposing head, as the sharp glass tore through the man's brittle skull and a puddle of blood spread around his truly dead corpse. Wiping away a sheen of sweat that had developed on his forehead he pulled the glass shard out with a crunching noise that made Sarah jump from where she was next to him.

"Ew, Gross and now we have to cover ourselves with it's..." she gulped at this unable to continue.

"Yeah" Nick sighed sadly as he rolled over the large man's corpse. Taking a grip deep breath he plunged the glass shard into the man's collarbone and using the strength in his somewhat skinny arms, he pulled the glass shard through the man's stretchy plastic like skin until he reached his groin. Pulling the blood soaked shard out of the man he dug his hand into the torn strip in his body, feeling the slippery intestines in his fingers, Nick pulled them out of the man and spread the chunks of guts and endless pints of blood over his black t-shirt and army patterned trousers.

"That smells disgusting" Sarah commented scrunching her nose at the smell that made her want to vomit.

"I know but we have to do it" Nick told her, Jane's advice had been helpful so far so why stop now? Added to the fact Nick could hear more walkers approaching this needed to be done. Pulling out even more guts he looked down at Sarah as her eyes widened.

"Okay now it's your turn" he said as he splashed the guts across her blue shirt as she shivered and whimpered "It's so cold..." she moaned.

Nick continued to rub the guts into every crease and fold of her clothes, ensuring that at least she would be safe. Finally the girl's dull blue shirt and black trousers were stained a ruby red as the walker blood had soaked through her clothes making her shiver uncontrollably as the cold winds (and fear of the approaching walkers) made her bones quiver.

"Okay now get my back" Nick told her as he handed her a few bits of chunky flesh, already both of them were drenched in blood, but when Nick felt Sarah's light brushes of walker guts on his back he couldn't help but shiver too. He was frozen in this dampened state, Sarah began to sniff and sob once again as she continued to wipe her palms across Nick's back, spreading it everywhere. Finally when she felt she had done enough her hands fell limply at her sides.

"Okay... stay close to me, don't panic" Nick instructed, smearing himself in one last layer of guts as he felt as though Sarah's light rubbing on the back of his shirt wasn't as hard as it could have been. Yet for a girl that just lost her father he could hardly blame her, as he extended his arm and pulled Sarah close to his hip "Don't scream okay? Close your eyes if you have too" he instructed, she obeyed his command instantly as her eyes snapped shut and Nick (with his arm around her skinny shoulders) ploughed forward into the tree line and approaching walkers.

They came close, Nick held his breath as he walked on yet they stumbled past him as if he wasn't there, but the sheer number of them lurking in this eerie pine forest made him shiver and panic. He felt Sarah shake violently beside him as her breaths grew more rapid as the encompassing sounds of the walkers approaching unnerved her too the greatest extent.

Nick took the plunge and kept walking, breathing as fast as Sarah was. His entire body shaking yet he kept putting one foot in front of the other, expecting Sarah to scream at any second breaking their cover. He expected himself to freeze up, or to have a walker suddenly latch onto him and bite him, yet no matter how close they came to him, or no matter how much the pair of them panicked. They kept silent, their cover intact Luke's words rang in Nick's head

"Come back man"

He would. He had too.

Finally Nick felt like he could breathe a sigh of relief as he navigated himself onto a small footpath where the walkers seemed to fade, their moaning no longer evident, yet he kept silent while walking along. The next herd could crop up where ever it wanted too, Sarah had dared to crack open her eyes a few inches, although away from the walkers, she kept in silence as she grieved for her father.

They had passed their first obstacle, now Nick didn't know what to do, or where to go, where were they going to find supplies? How would they find their way back? He kept walking onwards hoping for a miracle of some sorts, as he held the glass shard limply in his fingers, but if any walker approached he'd be ready to use it.

It wasn't much. But they were still alive and that in itself was something Nick could finally say something he had done. Not Luke. He had gotten himself and Sarah past that herd.

Now, the journey began.

* * *

Clementine, Luke and Bonnie had just finished patching up the barricade. Clementine had hoped she would catch a glimpse of Nick or Sarah in the car park yet she saw nothing. They must have left from the other side of the compound.

_"Please be lucky"_ The old childish prayer, played on her mind.

Bonnie worked in silence, only occasionally muttering a few comforting words to Luke, who was still trying to conceal a few sniffs and sobs. His actions now were rather limp and half hearted, the jolly exterior faded as his shoulders slumped and his head hung low. Maybe he missed Nick more than he realised, Clementine hoped that Nick would come back so he and Luke could discuss and sort out whatever problem they had. That's what Lee had to do with Kenny on more than one occasion.

The door opened silently behind them as Wyatt stepped out with a glum look on his face. "Bonnie, Luke, Clem, Bill wants to see the three of you in his office" he said.

"Joy" was Luke muttered as they put down their equipment and followed Wyatt back into the store. Clementine thoughts were still on Nick and Sarah, she didn't really care what Carver had to say to them. Yet her interest was aroused when Bonnie hissed "Wyatt, what's going on?"

She and Luke looked up, they were nowhere near to Carver's office at all, but by the scavenge room door that Clementine worked with Stephanie in a few days ago. Wyatt looked back at them grimly "Stephanie called us over... It's Rebecca" he responded as he opened the door.

Kenny, Sarita, Mike, Jane, Shel, Vince, Stephanie and Eddie all surrounded a pale faced Rebecca, who was gazing down at a wet spot near her trousers as she grunted in pain.

"Rebecca's waters have broken" Sarita told Bonnie, Luke and Clementine as they walked in.

"Shit! That means the baby's coming!" Luke exclaimed in a growing panic.

"Just when the doc dies, man you people are unlucky" Mike commented.

"How does it feel?" Bonnie asked gently as she approached a glowering Rebecca.

"Well, it's wet!" She snapped as she groaned in pain once again and her hands flew to her stomach "This baby's coming out now..."

Shit! We gotta get you a doctor Rebecca, there's bound to be...! Luke began as he opened the door and was about to call for help.

"NO!" Rebecca snapped freezing the young man in place as she closed her eyes and sighed "I don't want anyone to know... I..." she grunted in pain before continuing "I can't let Bill know it's out now, I just want a few hours with my baby before he takes it away" she said softly patting her bump once again.

"What!? I know you're upset but you could die without proper treatment!" Luke roared, wanting his friend to see sense.

"I know that! But I'm doing it this way anyway!" Rebecca shouted back, as she did Stephanie ran to the door.

"I know where they keep the meds here, I can smuggle all that you need" She told her as Rebecca smiled warmly at her "Thank you, just don't get caught" she warned as Stephanie smiled.

"My whole time here consists of _not getting caught,_ I'll do this just fine" she said before she flew out of the door.

"Well Bill or anyone might hear Rebecca's screams and come running, me and Wyatt can make a distraction to draw him away" Eddie suggested, a hair raising scheme already in his mind.

"Dude's you'll get yourself thrown into the pen if you do that!" Vince warned them, "Do you want a face like mine?" he added gesturing at his own beaten and bloody nose, lips and cheeks.

"Vince dude, you have no idea how much me and Eddie have wanted to cause trouble since Bill went ape-shit. We get one chance to cause chaos without getting killed or exiled, now's the chance to use it!" Wyatt told Vince, as he did Shel stepped up.

"Their right Vince, besides once they find us all here and once this whole things comes out, we'll all be put in the pen anyhow or exiled, hell at least we could all escape together then" She informed them, earning some smiles all round.

"I can't thank you all enough" Rebecca was tearing up at what these people who were willing to do all this, to give up all their freedoms... just so she could have a few hours with her child.

"Don't sweat it, just focus on having a baby" Eddie told her as he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Woah! Okay not only is this stupid...!" Luke began speaking up "But are we forgetting a key detail? Who the hell is going to actually help Rebecca deliver the baby...!?"

"I can. I've done it before" Kenny muttered, shutting up a babbling Luke, as he bent down to where Rebecca was panting on the floor "Okay take it easy..." he muttered reassuringly.

"Well that's solved, anything else you want to complain about?" Jane asked raising a thin eyebrow to Luke who simply shook his head.

"Okay then, with that in mind a few of us better keep lookout, just in case any of Carver's lapdogs come sniffing" Jane told the group, Luke, Mike, Shel and Vince offered to join her in standing by the doorway and listening to any intruders. While Clementine, Sarita and Bonnie surrounded Rebecca trying to comfort her.

"I can't believe this..." Luke muttered angrily "Carlos' is dead, Rebecca's about to give birth, Nick and Sarah are gone and were all beat to shit and now more of us are gonna be thrown into the pen or worse and..."

"It's prom tomorrow!" Wyatt declared dramatically.

This earned him a few odd stares.

"What? Oh come on none of you have a sense of humour" he complained.

Clementine turned back to Rebecca as Wyatt and Eddie flew out the door ready for their "distraction" everything was being set up.

_Time for the plan to begin. _


	18. A Distraction From Events

**A/N: Glad you guys are still enjoying the story I'm hoping now that by chapter 20 I can get a 100 reviews! That's my goal! Anyway reaching the 100 milestone would be amazing for me and all that... so yeah. **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl: On with the discussion. Yeah I was saddened by Christa and Omid's apparent deaths after they survived what Lee couldn't in season one. Although I was saddened by Omid's death I could accept it (unlike Sarah's or Nick's) as well as Christa's disappearance because Clem was all alone and she had to handle herself. Something which I liked about episode 1 which set up Clem's character as she dealt with new people as it felt like a new start.**

**However then they brought Kenny back and if him why not Christa? Still I could accept that, but I think it's lazy of the writers to not mention a single thing about Christa or Clem's 16 months together. Did Omid's death occur and Clementine had amnesia for 16 months? That's what it feels like especially when Rebecca was giving birth, didn't it cross the minds of any of Telltale's writers to just throw in even a fleeting reference to Christa's birth? However with all that said I plan to have a few flashbacks of Christa in this chapter as It's the perfect opportunity to bring her up.**

**AquaDestiny'sEmbrace, and ****SuperIdinaMenzelObsessedFanboy along with the rest of the regulars (as I like to call you) you know who you are and thanks for the continued support! **

* * *

_"AARRGHHH!" _

_"You need to be quiet Christa!" Clementine hissed at the tall black woman as she watched the forms of the walkers outside, thankfully none of them heard Christa's wails of pain as she had reached the final stage of her pregnancy._

_"It's coming now Clem! I need your help!" Christa could barely contain her screams as the contractions reached their final stages... She had already removed her trousers and Clementine saw more of Christa than she ever wanted too see, yet she couldn't squirm uncomfortably now. It had been two weeks since Omid died and Christa was propped up in an old sofa bed in this run down Trailer. Her legs outstretched as she grunted in pain once again._

_"It's okay, I'm here, just take a few deep breaths" Clementine told Christa, the pitter patter of the heavy rain and the loud grumbles of thunder had come at a good time to make sure Christa's screams wouldn't go overheard amidst this storm. Yet it unnerved Clementine to have so much chaos occurring at once..._

_"I wish... I wish Omid was here" was the only thing Christa could pant before a wave of pain crashed over her as she nearly crushed Clementine's palm in her own as she squeezed tightly and screamed. Clementine's eyes flew to the barricaded door to the trailer nervously as she expected walkers to crash through it any second. Christa's words of advice had been to leave her, if she got surrounded by walkers while having the baby. something Clementine did not want to do._

_She didn't want to be alone._

_"Clem... you need... you need to deliver the baby" Christa panted heavily her weary brown iris locked on Clementine's yellow one's as the younger girl looked back in fear. _

_"You can do it... Remember what I told you..." Christa said warmly before another contraction caused her to roar in pain as her body crumpled "CLEM, NOW!" She bellowed through her endless screaming, without wasting another second Clementine proceeded towards where the baby would soon come out. The only thing she could shout was for Christa to take deep breaths "You're doing great!" Clem added every so often to ease the pregnant woman who was now drenched in sweat._

_The process never seemed to end, but finally Clementine saw something she never expected to see._

_"I can see it's head!" She shouted in a sort of desperate relief as she stretched her arms outwards... "Just a little more Christa!" Clem shouted back as the baby slowly emerged from her body, it's cries echoing around the trailer as Christa's screamed her loudest scream yet, nearly tearing her vocal chords apart. _

_And suddenly, it was over, the wailing child fell into Clementine's outstretched arms, she quickly grabbed the knife she had on her and cut the umbilical cord carefully just as Christa had instructed weeks beforehand after Omid's death. With the wailing child cut free she looked down at the small screaming blood drenched infant and was somewhat frightened by how small and frail it seemed, it looked too delicate and she feared she would end up killing it somehow._

_"Here" the girl said in fear quickly handing the newborn infant to it's mother. Christa raised her sweat drenched head and her face melted upon seeing her child. She lifted her arms as Clementine placed the infant in them, cradling the small child, it stopped wailing as Christa stroked his flaky eyebrows._

_"Aw" she looked down as a tear slid down her cheek "It's a boy, isn't he beautiful?" she asked Clementine as she child burped and Christa laughed lightly the first time she had ever done so since Omid's death. _

_"Yeah" Clementine agreed as she store at the baby. In that beautiful moment the three of them were connected, there was no fear of walkers, no dark memories, just the simplicity and happiness of a successful birth of a new human being._

_"Omid Junior, I'm Mummy say hello to mummy" Christa said as the baby's big blue orbs trained on his mother before he looked sidewards at Clementine, the infant gurgled._

_"This is Clementine, she's your big sister, she's gonna take care of you" Christa mused to her son._

_"Hi" Clementine said mustering a small smile, as the baby stared blankly at her, it blinked a few times as his small hands explored Christa's neck and chin. As the baby did that, Clementine had her stitches at the ready as she prepared Christa had told her about "tears" that occur during a natural birth and judging by the bleeding... Clem didn't want to go into too much detail but she knew that if Christa needed a chance to recover quicker she would need stitching._

_"You've done brilliantly Clem, you should be proud, I know Omid would be" Christa told her warmly as Clem finally felt happy with herself after Omid's death. Maybe after this stormy night, she and Christa would get on better. The child symbolised something new and innocent, as Clementine curled up and tried to sleep that night the last thing she remembered hearing were Christa's happy laughs and the baby's gurgles..._

_She woke up that morning to a grief stricken scream._

_"It died" was all Christa told her bitterly months afterwards._

_Other than that she hardly ever spoke her child or Omid and their relationship remained strained._

_..._

Flashbacks to Christa's birth returned to her as Clementine looked at Rebecca who was placed in the same position Christa was when she was giving birth. Sarita and Bonnie's calm chattering was soothing her slightly as they tried to make her comfortable. Clementine could only lean close to Rebecca, as the woman gripped her hand tightly.

"I... I wish Alvin was here" She panted to Clementine as beads of salty sweat rolled down her forehead, reminding Clementine of how Christa wanted Omid by her side when she was giving birth.

"He is here, his watching over you and his proud of you" Clementine said softly, these words seemed to comfort her a little as she smiled through her pain.

"You're a good kid Clem, in fact..." she looked over to the group as she beamed at them all "I don't know why I deserved to be surrounded by such good people, I can't imagine myself doing this alone" she confessed to the younger girl as she gritted her teeth in pain once again as Kenny peeled her trousers from his legs and muttered "You're doing good, just keep goin'..." he encouraged her.

"Damn it! How the hell is anyone gonna raise a child in this apocalypse" she wailed as the pain got ever worse. To do her job and comfort her Clementine told her the only story she could...

"I knew a woman who was pregnant before, I had to help her deliver the baby" she told Rebecca who widened her eyes at this new found information. "You-delivered a baby?" she asked in awe, wondering what else this capped wonder- girl was capable of "Yeah" Clementine answered, "Christa told me all about delivering babies, it was a boy" she added sadly.

"What happened to him" Rebecca asked wearily already knowing the answer in Clementine's reflective eyes.

"I'm sorry" she told the girl quickly as another round of all consuming pain engulfed her and she screamed as Clementine quickly grasped her hand again, looking towards her legs again for any sign of the baby. She didn't realise that Kenny was staring directly at her listening to her tale on the baby Christa had lost.

"Well at least that explains... how you were able to stitch up your own arm in the shed" Rebecca wheezed.

"What? Stitch up your arm?" Kenny asked still staring at Clementine, of course he didn't know about the whole dog bite situation and Clementine knew he wouldn't be happy when he found out the cabin group had locked her in a shed. But right now she didn't answer his inquiry, they were more pressing matters on her mind.

For a few seconds he continued to stare at her before he finally lowered his head and with a look of determination on his bearded face he shouted "Alright your doing good Rebecca few more pushes and it should be out!"

"I... I can't do this!" Rebecca heaved in pain as Sarita carefully wiped her forehead with a cloth, however just then Mike bellowed "SOMEONE'S COMING!" which caused everyone to tense up, and Rebecca to pause in her tracks. However a second later Mike seemed to relax as he peered out of the grey door's crack "It's alright it's Stephanie! And she's got a load of stuff!"

He quickly opened the door to a shaking Stephanie whose arms were overfilling with medical supplies and blankets, Mike quickly slammed the door shut behind her as she panted and the supplies she smuggled went tumbling to the floor. "Meds, Blankets! All I could grab... I don't know what Wyatt and Eddie are doing but it's working!" She exclaimed as Bonnie and Sarita lugged the supplies to Rebecca.

"We got pills here that could help with the pain!" Bonnie said holding up a small bottle of white pills in her fingers.

"Give me them!" Rebecca demanded instantly.

"But..." Bonnie began.

"I-want-them!" Rebecca growled with the force of a lion. Not wanting to get on her bad side, Bonnie quickly removed the cap from the small bottle and placed three of the pills in her palm and handed them to Rebecca who gulped them down without a moments hesitation. As she did that Bonnie, Sarita and Stephanie worked as one to place pillows under and around Rebecca to make her more comfortable.

"Oh God..." Rebecca whimpered as she was now gripping Clementine's hands so tightly she felt the blood circulation in them stop, Clementine could only join in with Kenny chorus of "Deep breaths... come on... nearly there..."

Just then there was a THUMPING noise that made the whole room shake as the light overhead swayed, this was followed by another THUMP moments later causing the room to shake violently and brownish trickles of dust to fall to the floor.

"Jesus what the hell are those idiots doing!?" Vince exclaimed looking around wildly.

"Whatever it is, it's loud and distracting enough!" Was Shel's reply.

"AARRRGHHHH!" Rebecca cawed shooting her head upwards as she entered the final stages of her pregnancy these cries were tearing her vocal chords apart, just as Christa's did before the baby came out, thankfully the constant loud THUMPS seemed to overshadow her screaming as no one came running along and before she knew it Clementine heard a welcome phrase.

"I can see it's head..."

...

"THIS IS FUCKING NUTS!" Was all Wyatt could shout on repeat like a broken cassette as Eddie placed his foot down on the pedal again and the truck reversed backwards and slammed into the hanger door causing the two of them to jolt violently from their seats, before Eddie drove the truck forwards again... and then back and so forth...

"I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DESTROY SHIT WYATT! YOU GOTTA ENJOY THE MOMENT MAN!" Eddie shouted in a crazed sort of glee as he rammed the truck into the hanger door once again, causing Wyatt's stomach to flip.

"Jeez, dude... just... fuck we are in such shit" Wyatt moaned as he tried to readjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"You agreed to it" Eddie reminded him.

"I thought we'd be setting off a firecracker or something... not this!" Wyatt shouted almost hysterically as he was flung around the truck once again as it backed into the hanger door.

"The last time we were in a vehicle together, it didn't end well Eddie!" Wyatt decided to remind his friend who sighed sadly amidst his crazed adrenaline rush and looked at Wyatt with those massive black eyes of his, that reeked of sorrow.

"Wyatt, I know I fucked up when I left you back in those woods, but hell that ain't gonna happen this time, were going into the pen together!" he shouted with determination, causing Wyatt to smile.

"When you put it like that, I'd rather die alone in the woods" Wyatt told him flatly before they both looked at each other and laughed, their friendship as strong as it could have ever been.

"HEY!" Came a dreaded bellow as Troy and about 10 others ran onto the scene, cutting the pair laughs short as their guts twisted in fear, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?" Troy demanded of them.

"PROTESTING AGAINST BILL! BECAUSE...!" Eddie improvised on the spot, yet now he had hit a brick wall in his explanation which Wyatt quickly broke through.

"...BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DID TO SARAH AND NICK! WE THOUGHT THAT WAS MESSED UP!" Wyatt shouted, before Carver himself emerged from behind Troy, their leader didn't hesitate. Using his small gun he fired a perfect bullet into one of the tyre's of the truck causing it too deflate as Wyatt and Eddie screeched to an awkward stop. Two guards opened the truck doors and dragged them (by the necks) towards Carver, they threw the two men at the feet of Carver, nervously they looked up at him.

"So" he began in that horribly calm voice of his as he glared down at them "You fuck up my hanger door, you force me to ruin one of our trucks, you waste our precious fuel... all because you suddenly decided that you don't like me?" He asked of them sweetly.

"Pretty much Bill" Eddie dared to respond.

"Well then, in that case you two will be responsible for cleaning up the mess you made... and from this point on you'll be living in the pen" Carver growled.

This verdict was followed by a suspected beating, as the rest of community watched (some with weaker stomachs than others) at the end of it Wyatt and Eddie had passed out in pain, there faces a maze of blood trails and with swollen lumps and bruises dotting their cheeks, noses and chins.

"Get them the fuck in the pen!" he snapped at Tavia and Troy who instantly obeyed his command and dragged the two men towards the pen/prison Carver had in store for them. Carver could say he was angry... or fuming about how much had gone wrong in one day.

_Yet he was completely unaware in this mess, he had missed the birth of his own son. _


	19. Fallen But Never Forsaken

**A/N: 90 reviews guys! I can't be more thankful for the continued support for this story, I know it's a small fanfic base, but this story is now on the first page for most number of reviews! I'm chuffed! (Or just sad... anyway...)**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Discussion time! Yeah I got the season pass and playing them through and making the decisions myself makes it a hell of a lot more intense (especially on a first play through). And your review on Christa helped me write that flashback scene, as I was planning to add a few references to Christa anyhow, but when you mentioned about Christa and Omid dying I thought "Hey, why not add a flashback there?" and I'm glad it made you want to find a story where the baby does survive.**

**Like I said above, the game is incredible, with so many characters and paths it could have taken, so why on earth it has such a small fan base (especially on this site) is beyond me. Either way your compliment on this story being a gem really made my day! Seriously I know what it's like wading through tons of bad fanfics just to find a gem of one, and to have this story considered a gem means a great deal! And about Sarah... yeah she could be a bit annoying, but I never wanted her dead. I hate it that people only like the badass characters like Kenny or Clem. Sarah was right in a sense, not everyone can be like them... **

**Emily Carver- We think alike, I thought the ultimate kind of revenge Carver could suffer at this point would be to miss the birth of his son. The son he chased the cabin group down for, the son he murdered people to get... and his so called "loving daddy" wasn't present at the birth. It will be a real kick in the teeth for Carver. But a sort of Karma he deserves. **

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Although I disagree with you about Kenny (to some degree) I agree with you on Christa. The whole Christa giving birth thing is completely omitted when it could have easily been referenced too or referred to again )especially regarding Rebecca.**

**Rebloxic and AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks as always! Both of your support means a great deal! **

**Right then, you have now reached bottom of this author's note. I do apologise for going on, but for now enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

The footpath seemed to lead on through the endless woods as the overcast sky seemed to turn darker with each passing second. Sarah was too preoccupied thinking about her father... and hearing his dying screams, the last words she had ever heard from him.

"GO SARAH! MOVE! I LOVE...!"

His sentence went unfinished as the walkers collapsed upon him and his horrible dying screams ricocheted through the still morning air, Sarah could only back into a corner herself screaming herself as the walkers sharp teeth ripped through her father skin and his crimson blood sprayed all over the place... she couldn't move... she couldn't breathe... she could only curl up a few feet away from him, the hammer in her hand shaking wildly...

If only she had used it. Why hadn't she used it?

Now that the shock of her father's death was wearing off, she was entering the second stage of grief... unbeknownst to her If Clementine hadn't had prepared her through the horrors of the outside world through her true stories... than Sarah would have taken his death a lot harder than she already had (if that was too be believed) never the less now that the shock of it was wearing off. She couldn't deny his death that occurred right in front of her... people Clementine had cared about how died too, right in front of her with no warning.

_"sometimes a person you love just dies with no goodbye"_ were Clementine's words of advice to her. These words had prepared her very thinly for what was going to occur to Carlos, yet despite the crushing grief she couldn't face denial of events.

Besides, Becca's death beforehand had already pre-prepared her.

One minute the mean spirited girl was taunting her "Just work Sarah you fucking pansy... Jesus, you're useless you know... God, I wish you just died out there" she kept on repeating, Sarah tried to work, but her thin fingers kept fumbling and she found herself drooping the clippers she held as Reggie's death replayed in her mind from the previous day.

"WORK ALREADY!" Becca screamed losing her short patience with Sarah.

"I-i'm trying B-b-becca, but it's h-hard" Sarah told her shakily feeling the tears fall from her eyes.

"It's a simple task baby! What the hell is wrong with you!?" she demanded to know, as Sarah could only shake and sob and when she dropped her clippers once again, That was when Becca lost her patience and hit her...

The pain wasn't the worst thing. It was seeing her tormentor dead on the floor merely a minute later. With all this in mind, and Becca's harsh words replaying in her head, mingled with Carver's criticism made the shock of her grief fade. The trauma made her cry and scared her still, but reaching the second stage of grief was anger at herself...

Carver had ordered her to be slapped.

She had gotten Reggie killed by failing to do the work.

She had gotten Becca killed by failing to do the work.

The group were clearly talking about what was wrong with her a few nights back.

She had gotten her father killed by failing to do a damn thing.

3 people, 3 people were dead because of her. The amount of self loathing she had developed for herself is what caused her sadness now, at first it was the fear and the shock but now... now she knew she was to blame. She could almost see herself getting Nick killed as well if that happened Sarah didn't know what she would do. Not only would she be alone without his comforting arm around her. She would have another death on her frail shoulders.

_"I don't want to hurt anybody"_ she told Clementine, yet despite her best efforts three were dead in her wake.

"Hey, you okay?" Nick finally asked looking down at the girl, both were still drenched in walker guts and the colder winds of the retreating day and the silence were getting a bit much for him and to break out of his own depressing cycles of thought he decided to speak to the girl he barely knew. Back at the cabin they barely interacted as she was stuck in her room, whereas he was out collecting fish from the fish traps. He was an abrasive young man, whereas she was a timid teenager. Their polarised personality's made them indifferent to each other.

Now they were grouped together over one thing. Their failures. Which stuck out like a sore thumb compared too everyone else.

"Look" Nick began rubbing the back of his black mullet with his free hand "I don't know what to say to you about Carlos other than... I'm sorry Sarah... really I am. If you want to scream at me, or blame me or whatever go on ahead. I'll take it on the chin because I know it deserve it"

Through her fuzzy vision Sarah looked up at him oddly, he was blaming himself for what she had done? Was this just another way to make her feel better? Well she wouldn't have it.

"Don't try to make me feel better, My dad's dead because of me" She said flatly, she was surprised at her own words as they sounded so flat and so... emotionless. This wasn't how she usually spoke.

"Don't blame yourself" Nick snapped sourly at her, yet something about this rubbed Sarah up the wrong way and she found the anger at herself could no longer be contained.

"NO!" She screamed suddenly causing Nick to jump as she broke out of his grip and froze in her tracks as she glared at the leaf strewn floor of the pine forest "IT'S MY FAULT! REGGIE! BECCA! DADDY! THERE ALL MY FAULT NICK!" She was crying now as she collapsed to the floor and the salty tears fell from the bridge of her nose to the floor. "Just leave me to die, I don't want you to die because of me either" she sniffed as she let herself sink into the dirty forest floor... covered in guts and feeling like a dead weight on him.

"Hey! C'mon you'll draw walkers!" Nick snapped trying to holster her up off the ground by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"NO! LET ME GO!" She screamed as she tried thrashing out of his grip as he lost his temper "DAMMIT SARAH STAY STILL! He roared as the girl wriggled from his solid grip.

"NO!" She screamed and sobbed again, as Nick looked around again if they kept up the way it did, Walkers would descend upon them in no time he had to try and calm Sarah down... but how? Only Clementine could do that...

Clementine.

"Sarah, if you stay here you'll die, you don't want that do you? You need to get back to Clementine, she's your friend" He told her as Sarah's sobbing subsided a little.

"Clem" she remembered, the friendly face of the 11 year old filled her mind, she pinkie promised she would come back for Clementine and not just her, she wanted to be surrounded by all those friendly faces in the pen. All those people she liked so much...

But it was so, so hard to come back to them, when she knew she was nothing but a liability for them.

"Maybe it's best if I just die out here, than I don't have to worry about getting Clem killed too" She muttered sadly positioning herself on the forest floor with her legs crossed having a sort of childish strop that made Nick's blood boil.

"Sarah! We don't have time for this!" he hissed at her.

She didn't respond, with this Nick sighed and looked up. They truly were pathetic, the two liabilities of the group covered in head to foot in walker guts and crouching in the middle of an exposed wood. He couldn't even move a 15 year old girl, or get her to move. What sort of man was he? He was the worst kind he knew that for sure.

"Damn it Sarah, come on... just move!" he was practically pleading this of her now, but the teenager remained motionless in her depression. Nick couldn't do this anymore, he felt himself opening up as a last ditch attempt to get her to move.

"Sarah, look" he began in a much calmer voice "It's both our fault that your dad's dead" this sentence seemed to get her interest as she turned to face him as he carried on "If I'd have just fixed than damn barricade properly and if you'd have hit one of those lurkers, Carlos wouldn't be dead. But what happened, happened and Carlos is dead we can't change that now".

She blinked, curious to hear what he had to say next.

"I can't forgive myself for Carlos' death, the only thing I can do is make sure I don't fail his daughter the way I failed him. So... you gotta move Sarah, because if you don't move than I won't move either and then you've got us both killed" he told her as eyes widened in panic.

"But... I don't want to kill you too!" she squeaked.

"I know you don't and you won't Sarah. Look Luke, Clem and all the others are counting on us to get back, we have to try, for them" Were his words, as he did Sarah finally seemed to stand up. Nick followed her example.

"I... I did pinkie promise Clem I'd come back" she stuttered, she didn't want to kill anyone else and if she was planning to die she didn't want to drag Nick down with her.

"You can't break a pinkie promise" Nick told with a touch of awkward humour which Sarah didn't pick up on.

"Yeah, but this is really, really hard Nick" she moaned to him.

"I know it's hard, but we gotta make the best of it. It ain't gonna get easier Sarah, but we have to be tough" Nick told her.

Sarah thought hard about this, she was angry at herself for being weak, back when Becca had died she had steeled herself to become stronger, but she learned she couldn't just "become strong" in a matter of days. No... but this time she swore to herself... she would become "tough" no matter how long it took. Her father's death had spurred her to think so negatively about who she was... she wanted change. She wanted to be stronger.

With a deep breath, she looked at the blurry path ahead of her. "Let's go then" she said trying hard not to sniff or sob (although she failed).

"Good girl" Nick said as he took the lead, they slowly proceeded into unknown foliage. But barely a minute had passed before they suddenly came across a very familiar opening as they gazed ahead.

"Is that...?" Sarah asked not seeing clearly through her bad eyes.

"It is! Holy shit Sarah! Were back at the civil war site!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

The two shared a smile, they had found a familiar place and plans were forming in Nick's mind.

Maybe... just maybe, they weren't doomed.

Or that pathetic.

* * *

"Supper, get your asses back to the...!"

Tavia's words froze on her lips, looking around she saw nothing but the finished barricade looking back at her. Luke, Bonnie and Clementine were alarmingly absent, disgruntled she lifted the walkie talkie to her lips, "Troy are Luke and Clem back in the pen? and have you seen Bonnie lately?"

"There ain't no one in the pen other then those two screw up's" Came Troy's gruff response.

"Well, Bonnie, Luke and Clem aren't here" She informed him as Troy swore "You don't think they've run off do you?" he snarled, hardly daring to believe they could slip under their noses just like that.

"I don't think so, I'm going to try and contact Bonnie" Tavia told him he muttered "okay then".

"Bonnie, where the hell are you?" she asked through her walkie talkie she waited a few minutes yet there was no response, just empty static that reached her ears.

"Shit" Tavia cursed, as she turned back into the compound, her eyes locked upon Bill's office, he needed to know that these people had just vanished. Although he would be fuming as it seemed he was having a bad day today...

* * *

"Remember when we were last time?" Nick asked Sarah as they approached the statue of the two soldiers, one carrying the other _**"Fallen but never forsaken"** _a plaque beneath it read. Could those words apply to him and Sarah as well? Either way he proceeded forwards, his eyes peeled on the trees for any signs of movement but so far... everything seemed quiet and still. There was even a lack of walkers.

"Yeah, I remember how we were all here last time" Sarah recalled, but upon her words both of them dipped their heads sadly remembering the fallen, Nick's own mother, Pete, Carlos, Alvin...

With the memories of the dead keeping their spirits down, Nick and Sarah rested their aching legs on some nearby benches, they had been walking all day to get to here and now they were here they needed to catch their breath, recovering from their fatigue for a few minutes, Nick became aware of how quickly it was getting dark and how much colder it was getting...

"Were gonna have to find a place to stop the night" he muttered to Sarah who, (to his surprise) gave a logical answer "Well we stayed at the observation deck last time, before we moved again. We should stop there for the night and then see what we can find tomorrow" She didn't seem aware of what words had tumbled out of her mouth, yet she seemed to flinch slightly when she saw Nick gawking openly at her.

"What?" she asked defensively bringing her legs up to her chest.

"Nothing... just... It's just not the type of thing you'd say" He eventually replied.

"Well... you guys never told me anything and I just want to help for once" she said sadly, as Nick stood up and looked at a nearby map of the civil war site, determining the location of the observation deck, he smiled and proceeded towards a brick arch "Observation deck's this way! Unless you wanna freeze out here tonight you better haul ass!"

Springing up Sarah followed him, as they proceeded across the empty car park towards the lone observation deck, climbing the stairs Nick found nothing but a closed shutter staring back at him, he had nothing to help open these shutters other than the shard of glass in his fingers. "I'm going to try and open this Sarah, see if you can find anything"

Sarah looked around blankly, more so admiring the view of the nearby river as her stomach rumbled and her fingers stung from the cold. She hoped to find food soon, or even something to drink... she was starting to get dizzy. But beside that listening to the tranquil flow of the river and gazing at the ruby red sky filled her with a sense of ease... there were no bandits... no walkers to worry about as of now. She could just enjoy what she was witnessing.

"I wish you were here dad" she murmured sadly. Remembering the last time, she and the rest of the group were camped up here and she was snuggled next to her father trying hard to gain some sleep while gazing at the starry sky with him. Already the world felt like such a sadder and emptier place without him.

But she couldn't keep daydreaming if she wanted to survive in a world that demanded her to be "tough" with a sigh she came back down to earth as Nick continued to grunt from behind her, no doubt trying to open that unmoveable shutter. While he was busy with that Sarah gazed at the floor... nothing. She gazed at the large cannons for a while in curiosity... nothing. She even willed herself to reach into the dark hole in the cannon, only to discover that it was filled with cement.

"Nothing in there" she thought in a growing frustration as she sighed and peered into a nearby bin.

"GOT IT!" Nick yelled triumphantly as there was a defining click as he lifted the shutter using his fingers, he gazed inside at the almost cosy interior. Well almost cosy, if a bare wooden floor accounted for "cosy" these days. But at least they had a roof over their head, which was more than he could say about the pen.

"Hey Sarah, were in!" He shouted in glee to the teenage girl who didn't respond.

"Sarah?" he replied again nervously, he was worried about her state of mind since Carlos' died. Regarding her breakdown earlier and her sudden change of mind to try and be tough. She might have tried bottling up what she felt, which was something Nick himself did often and he knew it wasn't the best way to deal with things...

"Nick" she finally replied as she looked up at him from where she was peering into the bin, to his surprise there was a massive grin on her face "I found us some supplies" she mused.

"Get outta here" Nick muttered in doubt as he peered into the bin himself, he could barely believe what he saw. Tons, and he meant _tons_ of meds were just dumped there. Right there for him to take. No one was around and he wondered who on earth would leave such supplies behind? But right now he couldn't help himself, he found himself laughing hysterically as Sarah followed suite.

Either they were going crazy or...

They just received the moral boost they so desperately needed.


	20. Stripped of Dignity, never of Soul

**A/N: Okay I'll get right down to the discussions! **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Cheers for the review! And I like the fact I keep you surprised with curve balls, I imagined that Nick and Sarah would have arrived at the observation deck after Arvo had finished trying to dump his meds in the bin (I'm still intrigued to as why he did that and he'd be an interesting character to write about and in a way he reminds me of Ben...) **

**Now onto the cowardly guy himself. I (like many) hated Ben. My hatred of him was solidified when he left Clem in Savannah (and the whole axe on the door thing made me facepalm myself as well) however when the bell tower came I (for some reason) couldn't just let him die. Sure he was a screw up but he was human. And his outburst in episode 5 made me actually like him for the first time. Then of course he had to go and die. (dammit Telltale) overall I wasn't too fond of Ben. But he was one of the biggest and most memorable characters of the game and certainly made the game interesting and tested the player's morales. (and yeah he does look like Shaggy from scooby doo) **

**Now onto Kenny. I really liked his character. Yes his flawed but so is Ben and Nick etc... without him the game's story would have been dull and despite everything he still soldiers on. Other people may hate him, others worship him. I don't think I'd like him that much if he was a real person but due to the fact his so complex and can divide opinion shows that he is a fantastic character. **

**The Benevolent Scriber: Thanks for the reviews, I agree I developed Sarah a little bit fast. But I won't have her shooting guns yet, as I plan for her to open up a little more and practise and prepare before she goes around killing walkers (and even then I won't have her as tough as Clem but I can imagine her being strong in her own way) I had to fill in the plot hole about Christa, the comparisons were right in front of me and it amazes me how Telltale's writers could have forgotten such an important detail. **

**And for the rest of you reviewers, cheers! I would write responses to you all but this author's note is long enough as it is, if you have any burning questions or suggestions just let me know! **

* * *

"Their gone Bill! We've checked everywhere!" Troy was shouting to Carver who sat there in his chair, gnashing his teeth down to sand as he glared at one incompetent worker of his to the next, all with the same blank expression on their faces gazing at him as if he should do something about it.

_"I'm a shepherd leading a god-damn herd of brain dead sheep" _he thought to himself, it angered him to a great degree how people always were looking at him with such puppy dog eyes. Why him? He enjoyed being leader, he enjoyed the power he had attained but one thing he couldn't stand was having to wipe people's asses for them. Surely they were capable of finding a group of missing people who clearly hadn't left the hardware store? Weren't they?

The guards would have seen them if they had left and Carver refused to believe that guards on the roof needed to borrow his lime green eyes to do their job. Carver couldn't describe how much he hated incompetent people, a whole community looked up to him here and all it took was for one person to fuck up and...

Another person could die, a breach could occur that could cost the lives of every person in this community, all it took was one screw up... Walkers were an old threat. William Carver was a engineer before the apocalypse and it was him who had single handily built up this community around the hardware store he was so familiar with and sure enough he soon gained his followers...

He had to be tough. He had gotten this far by being tough, people needed to know that only strong people could survive. Weakness had to be uprooted, he didn't like to murder people. Who did? He just had the guts to do what other people couldn't, he could sleep soundly through a murder as long as he knew that his community and that his unborn child were safe...

Carver had always wanted to be a father.

"So you say Rebecca's still here" Carver asked of Troy, the other 20 odd people who had crammed into the room shuffled uncomfortably behind where Troy stood with his chest puffed outwards to appear tough in front of the leader who could who strike fear into the hearts of many by merely glancing at them.

"Yeah she's still here, according to Steph" Troy responded as Carver lifted the familiar talkie to his mouth "Steph this Bill, do you have Rebecca with you?" he asked.

There was a silence before there was a burst of static and she responded.

"Yup, she's right here Bill, she wants to know where the others have gone though" Stephanie's voice sounded causal but Carver was never one to fall such feigned tones.

"Tell Rebecca I'm on my way over there to check on her" He growled at the walkie talkie, there was a short silence.

"Okay" Stephanie responded before she cut off.

Carver raised himself from his seat and growled "Troy, Tavia and Stan with me, the rest of you get back to your posts!"

They obeyed his command instantly, Carver liked being in power.

* * *

_"ARRRGGGHHHH!" _

_Rebecca's final scream was cut short as the baby successfully landed in Kenny's outstretched arms, Stephanie quickly handed him a shard of sharp metal scrap from one of the corners that he used to slowly cut the umbilical cord, as he did the others all looked on as the baby's cries filled the room._

_"Is it... alive?" Mike dared to ask, hoping he didn't jinx the newborn._

_"It wouldn't be squealing if were dead Mike, it's... oh my God... it is alive!" Luke exclaimed, his previous panic and paranoia fading as he gazed at the blood coated newborn._

_"Let me see my baby" Rebecca mused, as Sarita wiped away another layer of sweat from her forehead, as she Kenny lifted the squealing baby and handed it to it's mother, who gazed at the small human unable to believe this had been successful, unable to believe that after everything that had happened, of all this death and destruction this innocent bundle of new life had survived it all. _

_"It's a boy" Sarita noted as she leant on a beaming Kenny's shoulder getting lost in the magic of the moment._

_"His beautiful" Bonnie commented also smiling as Kenny sniffed the air around the newborn "You never forget that smell" he muttered happily, his thoughts trailed back to a newborn Duck that he held in his arms..._

_"Hello Alvin" Rebecca finally murmured holding the baby close to her chest as it continued to cry, as tears of happiness leaked from her eyelids "His perfect... whose the best little boy in the world... you are... that's right you are..." she smiled as she rocked the baby in her arms, it continued to cry as Rebecca kept on smiling._

_"That's a beautiful name Rebecca" Luke commented stepping away from the doors, as many others also approached the mother and her newborn baby "Named after his father, Alvin wanted a boy now that man has had his wish, it's his child, his namesake I want my son to remember his father" Rebecca told them as she snuggled the baby closer to her. Luke gave her a puzzled look and opened his mouth..._

_"It's Alvin's I'm sure he would have loved it" Clementine cut in quickly as Luke closed his mouth and Rebecca beamed at her. Strangely enough Clementine was reminded of Omid wanting to name his son Omid Junior and now history had repeated itself with Alvin Junior. Yet she had been given a second chance here. Alvin Junior would not end up like Omid Junior, just like she ensured her new friends wouldn't end up lying dead like her old one's._

_"Do you mind if I...?" Rebecca began, blushing slightly as she lifted her top._

_"Nah, not at all" Luke said as he and few others (particularly the male's) turned away and allowed Rebecca to breastfeed her newborn in private, as the baby fed, silencing it's cries Mike decided to speak up._

_"When Carver finds out about this, we are in deep shit" _

_"Screw Bill, I don't care what he does to us, I just want to enjoy what happens now" Rebecca stated as she cuddled her baby closer to her._

_"Well we still need to... fix the tearing" Stephanie said, already pre-prepared with some stitches, "I'm not too good with stitches but I reckon I know the basics" she told Rebecca she crouched next to her outstretched legs..._

_"I can do it" Clementine offered crouching next to Stephanie and extending her outstretched hand._

_"Um, Clem maybe I ought too..." Stephanie began with a puzzled look spreading across her face. "No Steph, let Clem here do it, she had to stitch up her own arm. I trust her to do this and I want her to do this" Rebecca informed Stephanie. Stephanie couldn't believe herself when she actually handed the stitching equipment to an 11 year old. _

_"Are you sure about this though?" she asked the 11 year old in front of her, "I mean no offence Clem... but you'll be seeing things that... um..." Stephanie didn't really know how to explain it as she trailed off awkwardly, Clementine rolled her yellow eyes at the older woman._

_"I've done this before, I've already seen it all It won't embarrass me" Clementine told her dryly._

_"Well... damn I wish I was as mature as you when I was your age..." Stephanie mumbled as Clem got to work, everything seemed identical to what had occurred to her with Christa..._

_Except this time, she would change the outcome. _

_Clem finished her stitching just as the baby finished breastfeeding, lowering her top, Rebecca turned to face Clementine "I can't thank you enough Clem" she told the girl with tears once again falling from her eyes._

_"No problem" she responded trying to keep a calm face, trying to ignore the warm feeling in her gut that was making her choke up slightly in her throat._

_"You wanna hold him?" she asked, extending the now bundled baby towards Clementine, she felt all eyes resting on her and with a gentle "Go on" from Kenny she extended her hands to hold the tiny human, she was strongly reminded of Omid Junior as she looked down the child. They were almost identical, the same red skin, and wide blue eyes. Alvin stared at her in wonder._

_"This is Clementine honey, she's gonna be your big sister she'll look after you, just how She's looked after mummy a lot of times" Rebecca chimed to her newborn, as Clementine smiled down at the infant, who gazed blankly back at her._

_"Can I...?" Kenny begun._

_"Sure" Clementine responded handing the bundle to him, he held it in his weary arms as Sarita stroked the baby eyebrows "Aw... this little guy brings back some memories" he mused to Sarita as she beamed down at the child as tears poured from her eyes "After all I've seen, it's just... I never thought I'd live to see this" she told the listening group as Kenny handed the baby to Bonnie and held Sarita in a tight embrace. _

_"Are you sure you don't mind us...?" Bonnie asked Rebecca, as Rebecca shook her head "You can all hold him, it's my thanks to you" she responded warmly as Bonnie smiled and peered down at the infant "Howdy Alvin, it's you auntie Bonnie here, aren't you a handsome boy... oh yes you are!" she murmured blowing a raspberry that caused the baby to gurgle in curiosity. _

_"I better hand him to someone else, his picking up my bad habits" Bonnie laughed handing him to Luke who smiled as the baby tiny hands worked their way across his face._

_"Hey little one, we've been waiting a while for you" he told the infant as the small infant tried to grasp any part of Luke's face he could get his fingers on, mostly focusing on his nose as Luke chuckled lightly "I think he likes me or my nose at least" he told Rebecca as the pregnant woman smiled warmly at him. "That's your big brother Luke Alvin, his been with me through a lot, he'll protect you no matter what happens" Rebecca was reporting to her unaware infant, either way this made Luke smile as he handed the infant to Mike._

_The cycle went on, Rebecca tensed when the likes of someone she didn't know as well (like Mike or Jane) held the baby, but she relaxed when she realised they were smiling too and giving the baby compliments, as they passed the boy around "He reminds me of my little sister" Jane muttered gazing after the baby she just handed to Shel._

_"Me too" Shel replied to her, as the two shared an understanding look._

_The last person to hold the baby was Stephanie who looked down at the boy for a few seconds before the serious waterworks began, but these weren't happy waterworks as Bonnie and Shel instantly picked up on. Sobbing, Stephanie quickly handed Alvin back to Rebecca before she proceeded to a dark corner and held her face in her hands muttering "Oh God..." _

_Rebecca and Clementine shared a look of worry, as Bonnie stood up and approached Stephanie "Are you alright?" she asked in concern._

_"I-i'm fine... it's just... got to me y'know?" she smiled through her tears, no doubt hiding something traumatic to do with babies that had happened to her beforehand._

_"Hey... did you have any... younger siblings before all this?" Jane asked putting on her most friendly voice as she tried to relate to this woman._

_"No, I... it's nothing. Just don't worry about me okay?" she reassured the group. She recovered a few minutes later, but her sudden breakdown was still evident in the minds of many. _

* * *

Clementine had been in this room with the others for hours, her stomach growing heavier as they simply relaxed in there... talking... pulling faces at the baby to try and make it laugh. When Tavia's face flew threw the room from Bonnie's walkie talkie the whole room fell silent, uncertain of what to do. But then Stephanie thought of a master plan to save them a few more hours.

"Yeah I'm here with Rebecca, what? No we haven't seen the others, why? They've all gone missing? Shit! I'll tell her..." as the walkie talkie cut off Stephanie (along with many others) burst into chuckles in an almost childish manner. It felt like a big game of hide or seek and although she knew the consequences would be severe, Clementine could help but feel giddy at the "game" they had played against an unsuspecting Carver.

"Now let's all take bets on long it takes on them to find us" Mike said, starting a gambling war, his own bet of two hours being the closest as nearly two whole hours later... Shel peered out of the door to the sound of approaching footsteps and sighed heavily.

"His coming at last, with the asswipe, the idiot and fat bitch" she muttered darkly, her nicknames for Troy, Stan and Tavia.

Rebecca looked at her baby worriedly before she faced the door again defiantly "Well then, let's make this the best part" she told the group as they prepared themselves.

"Rebecca honey, how you doing?" Carver asked as he swung open the grey door.

"Very well Bill" she responded in a voice of poison, giving Carver a taste of his own medicine. The next second his eyes found his missing pen dwellers along with Stephanie and Bonnie "Well, well what's this? A meeting of some sorts? You all been bunking off here while..."

He stopped in his smug mid sentence when he spotted the bundle in Rebecca's arms.

The look of fury on his face as his eyes literally popped out of his head, is what did it. Clementine couldn't hold it in, she let out a small giggle and soon the whole room was following her in fits of laughter, as they pointed and jeered at a beet red Carver.

"You can have the baby Bill, but still you missed the birth. Considering all that you've done I don't think that makes for very good _father material"_ Rebecca commented.

Carver was gripping his walkie talkie so hard that it burst in his fingers, the shards that dug into his fingers, or the blood that ran down his palm only fuelled his rage.

"What's a matter _Bill? Distracted?"_ Kenny dared to jeer.

They laughed on like there was no tomorrow which there probably wasn't, now that they had dared cross Carver, it was stupid and a foolish thing to do but for once in a very long time Clementine was actually happy while surrounded by her _family. _

Carver could do what he wanted, he could roar at them which silenced their laughter, he could drag them out to the middle of the hardware store and beat them all (Clementine included) to a bloody pulp. (Only Rebecca and the baby were spared this) he could beat them and then beat them until bones snapped and they screamed in agony. And he could strip them all off in front of Carver's jeering crowds and send them back to the pen, naked, cold and hungry in disgrace.

But through that punishment, he hand't crushed them at all. Clementine heard Vince mutter daringly to Shel "It's actually an improvement and I get to look at naked girls, something I haven't done in a while" he cheekily commented earning a small slap to the face from Shel, as Bonnie shivered, bruised bloody and nude.

"It's barbaric, but maybe people will see how bad Bill finally is now" she noted sadly trying to cover herself.

They returned to Pen, all aching and but not crushed, No they had simply developed a somewhat "tougher skin" as Clementine liked to call it. A waiting Wyatt and Eddie gawked at them as they came into the pen.

"Dude's what the hell...?" Eddie muttered.

"Don't pretend you don't like it" Stephanie murmured posing seductively in a joking manner.

"But..." Wyatt began, a little flustered.

"So anyone still wanna call Bill a good man?" Kenny asked jokingly, earning him a few more laughs. Clementine still felt numb about what sort of trauma she had just been through. But somehow Carver's shocked face wormed it's way through her head through the trauma causing her too smile. No matter what he did to them now, he knew he couldn't break their spirits. That's why he didn't kill them, he wanted to break them first. But he had failed to do that, sure they screamed in pain and covered themselves.

But they were far from finished.

Eventually Rebecca came into Pen fully clothed and without baby Alvin, the first thing she did was pull Eddie and Wyatt into a bone crushing hug "If it weren't for you I'd never have gotten a second with my baby, so thank you" she told them warmly.

"Thank you? Have you seen what that fucker did!?" Eddie exclaimed gazing at the others who were all nude and bruised on every part of their bodies.

"It's okay... at least now everyone can see what Bill's really like" Kenny reassured them.

"It's like... watching prisoners at a concentration camp, it's fucking wrong!" Eddie continued, still uncomfortable by everyone showing up nude and beaten, it still astounded him how they could still smile. Being beaten was traumatizing enough as he had learned, but being stripped nude was soul destroying... how they could mutter words... and smile! Was beyond either his or Wyatt's understanding.

"You look pale Rebecca, I think we ought to get you to bed" Bonnie told her still covering herself a little awkwardly as Rebecca had to avert her eyes, "Me! After what Bill did to you guys you think I need rest!" she exclaimed to them.

"You did just give birth a few hours ago, you need the rest, we'll be fine Rebecca and don't blame yourself we all agreed to this" Luke reassured her as she simply allowed Bonnie to plop her down in her special bed, admittedly she was exhausted and pale and would need a few weeks of rest. Yet she couldn't help but feel bad for her friends, who would sleeping on the floor or on those excuses for beds... without even any blankets...

"Alright, get some rest guys we got a hard day ahead of us tomorrow" Kenny informed the group as he lay down next to Sarita. Other than those two no one dared to cuddle up to each other, because being naked and cuddling... all eyes were awkwardly avoiding Kenny and Sarita in the first place. Yet Clementine couldn't help but shiver as the cold winds blew across her bare skin.

"Here" came a voice from above her, she looked up to see Eddie offering a jacket to her, his eyes averted from her as he held his blue jacket at arm's length "I said I'd pay you back kid for saving my life and I know this doesn't compare... but... hell I can't just stand around a let a little girl freeze to death trying to sleep..."

"Thank you" she said shutting him up as she accepted the jacket and rolled it around herself, although it smelled funny, it warmed her up a great deal.

"Your welcome, sleep well" he told her as night descended upon the pen. Even with the jacket on it was still cold as Clementine knew she could only sleep and not help her friends get warmer. They wouldn't die... Carver had beaten them but he hadn't broke them.

_Fallen, maybe._

_Forsaken, never. _


	21. A Pair of Problematic Pisces

**A/N: Yes! Past 100 reviews! Cheers guys! 200 plus reviews for Chapter 40 is my next aim, but still the 100 review is an amazing point to reach.**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for the long reviews and onto the discussion, thanks for bringing the scar to my attention because I admittedly forgot about it, but now that they are all in the nude it's not like Clementine can hide it. So yeah I reckon the truth about the shed will come out and having the 400 days characters ask about it would also provoke Kenny's interest leading too further conflict and more plot routes to take. I also thought it was odd the bite was never mentioned again (say if you sided against the cabin group in favour of Kenny, you could bring up the dog bite as a key argument... but Telltale left it out... which was odd) **

**Also about Christa, I imagine she would be bitter after the baby's death and snappy, yet show occasional moments of warmth towards Clementine. If Carver lasted longer I don't think Christa would have showed up, in my books she is defiantly not dead as I can imagine her wondering around somewhere. Probably still heading to Wellington rather than near to Carver's camp.**

**Night-Chan-DragonEyes- I'm glad you love this story and thanks for the review! Feel free to leave more! **

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Yep Carver is pretty fucked up and I wanted Carver to start to take his punishments too far. I tried to grasp his character at the beginning of the last chapter but the more the group turns against him (e.g more people in the pen) the more tyrant-like I'll reckon he will get. Then again with his baby now with him he may calm down and try to play it clever. I'm still try to decide whether to make Carver become a full on screaming maniac, or a sinister, clever manipulator. (P.S give Grizzly adams a cap and I would see a striking resemblance to Kenny) **

**and finally AquaDestinysEmbrace thanks (as always) for your review!**

* * *

In the dead of night the temperatures reached ghostly cold lows, as the faint and eerie whoosh of the wind was the only thing (other than Nick's faint breathing) that Sarah could hear as she lay awake, tears occasionally spilling from her wide open eyes as she gazed at the pitch black night in front of her. She shivered as bad memories came to the surface, her father's death wouldn't leave her mind's eye as she found that it prevented her from sleeping.

Would she ever sleep again?

She couldn't, through her fuzzy vision blurs of white shot through the jet black night. Reaching out Sarah realised these white blurs were snow. Snow that (in her world) fell in large perfect circular blobs, or beautiful patterned snowflakes, not irregular and tiny shaped irregular shards which hurt her fingers and made them tingle. Pulling her blue hands back to her similar coloured shirt, she felt herself shiver as she tried to close her eyes and sleep... sobbing and shaking in equal measure...

_"Sarah!" Her father was calling to her, his warm smile on his face as she realized she wasn't cold and sobbing anymore, she was warm and in a field of sunflowers, from behind her father emerged her mother, with a platter of chocolate chip cookies that Sarah adored as she shook them at her daughter "Come on bumble bee!" that was her mother's nickname for her daughter, as Sarah's face spilt into a large goofy smile._

_Her parents were here, they were beckoning her forward, she could barely believe it as happy tears rained down her face and she ran towards the two almost golden shaded figures of her parents, "MUMMY! DADDY!" She screamed in happiness, her gut fit to burst as she was ready to crash into them as she closed her eyes ready to feel their comforting arms around her skinny frame._

_Instead she flew through the air and hit the hard bed of flowers around her, puzzled she looked in alarm when she heard her mother scream... she was re-watching the scene in which she had been killed... as she backed away from her mother trembling from head to foot she bumped into someone and she turned around._

_"HELP ME SARAAAAAAHHHH!" Her father bellowed as the walkers fell on him again, as his fresh screams lingered in her ears causing her to shake her head, as more disembodied voices flew across the field of sunflowers, in which the sky was turning black and the sunflowers were dying, curling up to grey prune's of curled up grass._

_"WhAt tHe heLL iS wROnG wITH YoU!?" Came Becca's warped insult as Sarah crammed her hands over her ears..._

_Gunshots and screams echoed through the air, which Sarah couldn't block out, and the final most chilling voice stood high above the rest of the horrors._

_"YoU'Re NeVer cOmInG bAcK...!" came Clementine's voice, as the world began to spin and the walker face of her mother popped up in her vision as she finished Clementine's sentence..._

_"...bUMbLE bEE!"_

"AHHHHH!" Sarah screamed punching the air (feebly) where her mother's face had been a few seconds ago, yet the only thing looking back at her were a pair of bright blue eyes through the pitch black of the night.

"Calm down! It's me Nick!" he was hissing to her, upon seeing that she was indeed back in the observation deck, she blinked rapidly as her rapid breathing slowed slightly. "Nick?" she asked wearily as he nodded, he continued to watch over her as she calmed down slightly. Sarah noted she was sweating through her layers of clothes as she felt sick to the stomach, she felt like throwing up and was close too... maybe this was due to the lack of food and drink that her caused her weak stomach either way (in a nutshell) she felt awful.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up Nick, I just had a scary dream" She told him, as she crouched up slowly, trying to keep her world level as her held still felt dizzy and her stomach was still unsettled. She sat up and closed her eyes tight, trying hard to maintain a sense of calm that had been so hard to attain lately.

"I wasn't asleep either" Nick told her through the gloom as she opened her eyes once again, as Nick came to crouch next to her by where she was leaning against the wall. In all truth she tensed up a little having him this close to her, she didn't know him all to well and he could get angry very easily which frightened her. As she pressed her knees up to her chest she felt Nick's eyes on her as she gulped.

"Look... I know what's it like" he began awkwardly "It's barely been 12 hours since Carlos died, you don't have to be ashamed of having a nightmare Sarah, It's the same with most people" he told her which made her feel slightly better as she thought that the crushing impact of her father's death was something only she could feel.

"Why don't you sleep?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Pete" came the deadpan response.

"Oh..." she said trailing off awkwardly finding it very difficult to find something to say, she was like this in most situations as she couldn't sprout out words that made you feel better like Clementine could. The only things that came to mind were upbeat childish phrases, although muttering a "It will all be okay..." right now felt out of place and she felt like she would anger Nick.

Instead she found herself weakly muttering "I liked Pete... it was sad when..." she trailed off at that point.

"Yeah, Peter Joseph Randall, the nicest meanest old bastard who ever lived" Nick told her, reciting the earlier toast he had given his uncle when he and Clementine were trapped in that damp cellar.

"Randall was Pete's last name? I never knew that" Sarah noted.

"I don't even now your last name" Nick commented back at her.

"It's Larson with a capital L, my dad always told me to write it that way, what about yours?" she asked in a feverish manner, the breathless child-like tone to her voice returning as she tried to cast the most recent nightmare and bad memories away and instead wanting to learn more about this man who she had seen so much of, but knew so little about.

"It's Duran" he responded warmly.

"Nick Duran, Nick Duran, Nick Duran" she kept repeating to see how it sounded on her tongue, it felt pretty natural to her as she smiled yet she'd stick to calling him "Nick".

"So what's your favourite colour?" she quizzed.

"Blue, yours?"

"Yellow" she mused, so she had learnt that his full name was Nick Duran and that his favourite colour was blue. Well she was starting to feel more comfortable around him already, she knew a last name and colour wasn't much but it was better than just an angry, towering, stranger with the label of "Nick" attached to him.

"Okay what's your star sign?" she inquired, Nick was finding this question/answer session a welcome break from the usual rants of Carver and his own self pitying thoughts, he thought back to his birth-date as he remembered which star sign that should have fallen under...

"Pisces" he finally responded.

"Oh wow! Me too!" she chimed as they shared a smile.

"Why ask that though, what's my star sign gonna tell you about me?" He decided to ask her, as her eyes (for one of the only times) shone with a blazing confidence.

"I used to have a book back at the cabin all about the star signs! I wanted to ask everyone their star signs... but then we had to leave..." she trailed off sadly, to stop this conversation from ending up in dangerous waters, Nick quickly swooped in with "... Well what did the part about Pisces say?"

"Well it said we were mysterious and alluring people... whatever that means" Sarah said with a dismissive wave of her hand as Nick didn't bother to explain to her, what "alluring" meant. Was he mysterious? No. Was his alluring? No. Star signs were clearly bullshit, but he wouldn't voice his opinion as for the first time Sarah looked like she was enjoying a conversation and he wasn't going to puncture a hole in it because of a personality mix up.

Yet it seemed like the conversation was heading to darker topics anyway as Sarah gazed out to the pitch black night "Nick... you know that Pete always wanted me to go those group meetings, but my dad would never let me" she mumbled as he slowly muttered "yeah" a bit uncertainly unsure of where this was going. Although he did ask Pete once why Sarah wasn't allowed to their meetings.

_"I want her to come to these meetings too son, but we have to respect Carlos' opinion. She's his responsibility and not our's" _

Well hadn't times changed. Nick was now Sarah's responsibility and like hell he was going to let her die. As he continued to stare at Sarah she blurted out her next words as if she had been bottling them up for a long time.

"Surely Pete knew what was wrong with me then. Did he tell you? Please tell me what's wrong with me Nick, I want to know, no one tells me anything not even my dad would tell me"

Nick blinked back at her in surprise as her gaze pierced right through him, it was true that Pete had once told him that "_The girl is autistic Nick, for the love of God keep your mouth shut about it, Carlos doesn't want everyone here knowing" _

_"Autistic, as in... what? She can't leave the cabin?" Nick spat back at him, he was in a bad mood that morning as they went to collect the fish from the fish traps. _

_"Autistic as in Autism Nick. She has difficulty speaking to people and adapting to the shit we live in now. But I still think it's wrong that Carlos' coddles her too much, it's not like she can't function she just has problems like the rest of us..." _

"There's nothing wrong with you Sarah" was his instant reply.

"I know that's not true, please just tell me, I want to know!" Sarah demanded of him.

For a long while Nick thought hard about it, was she better off knowing she had autism and dealing with the problem? Well he didn't know shit about the disorder Sarah had. She acted childish sure... and had problems speaking to people and panicked easily... but the more he thought about it he realised maybe it was best for her not to know. He couldn't just break the news to Sarah that she had autism and that treat it as if she had cancer... as if she could physically fight her disease, but this wasn't a physical disease it was a mental one. In fact it wasn't even a "disease" it was a "disorder"...

He realised that autism may have caused Sarah problems... but as Pete had once wisely said...

"_it's not like she can't function she just has problems like the rest of us..."_

For all he knew, Nick himself could have had autism judging by how socially awkward he was. Based off this he tried to imagine himself in Sarah's shoes. How would he react if he knew he had autism? Well... it would be a bit of shock and something that would make him wary of himself... make him wonder whether he was going to be locked in a padded room or something...

No, he couldn't tell Sarah. Her autism was not the problem. It was Carlos rigid sheltering that had done the damage to the girl. Although Carlos had meant well, Sarah's lack of experience of the horrors awaiting her in this world is what caused her frightened reactions, just like a child. In fact seeing as this whole apocalypse had started 2 to 3 years ago, Sarah would have been 13 or 12 when this started. Still a child. She hadn't grown up learning survival skills that other kids (Clementine being a star example) had done.

With this in mind, he finally spoke...

"Look, the only thing that's wrong with you Sarah is the fact your father kept you inside so much" he said as Sarah watched him curiously "Your father did everything he could too protect you... but because of that you don't know what it's like to kill a walker, to find food, or shoot a gun. Loads of other people have learned that by now and you haven't. That's why sometimes people... say horrible things about you. But that doesn't mean you're a horrible person." he quickly rushed on the that last sentence after Sarah's face dropped upon learning that people said horrible things about her.

"But... why can't people just be nice? Why does everyone have to be mean to survive?" she asked of Nick, of the whole world around her as a few more tears fell from her eyes.

"That's... just the way it is" Nick told her sadly.

"Clementine told me she'd teach me how to shoot a gun" She decided to add, feeling defensive after Nick's analysis of her.

"Really? I'm sorry Sarah but you wouldn't know how to shoot for shit" Nick told her harshly.

"I would!" she snapped, feeling defensive.

"Okay, how would you shoot?" he asked.

"Well I'd hold my gun like this... and then... Clem taught me not to lock my shoulders and aim through the nuzzle... and then shoot" she explained.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Nick asked dryly.

"What?" Sarah inquired.

"Pulling the trigger" he said as he bent his second longest finger and made a faint pop that was meant to resemble the noise of gunfire, Sarah didn't say anything as Nick sighed "Have you ever shot anything before Sarah?"

"Well... No..." she begun.

"Well then you can't shoot for shit..." Nick started telling her the facts.

"But...!" Sarah shouted to interrupt him but he held his hand up to pause her.

"I said you can't shoot for shit, but you will learn how to shoot. We'll find ourselves a gun if we can and we'll get you some proper shooting lessons, same way Pete used to take me hunting. I was younger than you when I was shooting buck's, admittedly I'm not the best shooter in the world but I can teach you the basics and we'll see if you have a good aim..." he told her.

"Well you're not a bad shooter, you shot that guy on the bridge..."

"Yeah, thanks for bringing that up Sarah" he snapped angrily causing her too flinch.

"Sorry" she squeaked after a few seconds of uneasy silence in which he accepted with a "No... I... I didn't mean to snap at you. Yeah I shot the guy on the bridge but I couldn't shoot some walkers to save Pete" he muttered sadly remembering his frantic shots that had killed the walkers around Pete too little, too late.

"I need some glasses first to see what I'm was aiming at" She said addressing another problem to try and sway the conversation elsewhere.

"Don't worry about that now, as long as you can shoot and not drop the gun in a panic... it will be a step in the right direction" he reassured her, as she rubbed her growling stomach.

"We have to try and find food tomorrow, and we can go drink from the river" Sarah suggested as Nick nodded.

"Yeah, we got plenty of supplies though" he said patting the black bin bag next to him that was filled to the brim with meds they so desperately needed if they were to get back into Carver's community.

Back to their friends.

"Well it's been nice talkin' let's just try and get some sleep" Nick said yawning as he lay on the floor "It might be hard, but we'll need it" he told Sarah as she lay down on the cold floor as well.

"Night" she called out to him.

"Night" he grunted back.

Sarah didn't sleep easily, yet she managed too, feeling comfortable that a man she was growing fond of was nearby and she knew that finding the meds and Nick's promises to her were a step into a scary future, yet one she was willing to dive into to try and get out of the endless trauma she had endured recently.

And as for Nick, he also slept... he never thought he or Sarah didn't have much in common, yet they were getting on very well. Autism or not, too Nick her autism was irrelevant to him. For all he knew he had autism too, hell everyone had problems in this world, he had serious anger issues and was a serious screw up... yet he would fight on.

He would ensure Sarah would too.

...

Nick awoke to an unwelcome noise that morning, not off Sarah's good morning, but of harsh foreign voices cutting through the cold morning air, he could hear a group of them ascending the wooden staircase.

"Shit! Sarah get up!" he hissed, as Sarah's eyes fluttered open, but there was no time, Nick grabbed her from under the armpits and shoved her behind a small counter as Nick himself ducked behind it, just in time, as he watched a group of 6 or 7 armed, rugged looking men and one cold faced blonde woman crowded around the observation deck.

"Are they friendly?" Sarah asked in fear.

"I- don't think so" Nick whispered back, as the both of them stayed as still as statue scared to even breathe in case it would attract attention.

"Oni zdes'?" came a rough male voice, Nick peered over the counter to see a pale faced bespectacled teenager with a leg-brace nodding vigorously at the man who had just spoken.

"They sound Russian" Sarah whispered to Nick as he remained silent, watching them carefully.

The man stepped forward and out of Nick's range of vision, but a second later there were a few gasps all round, before the man that had stepped out of Nick vision returned to it. Red faced and holding the teenager by his neck.

"Chertov lzhets ARVO ! YA ub'yu tebya na meste!" He bellowed, in English murderous bellows were scary, In Russian they were horrifying as Nick couldn't grasp what they saying at all, other than that they were mad at the teenager. He knew the man had checked inside the bin for the meds...

The meds... the bag was next to him as he realised who he and Sarah had stolen from now.

The rugged man seemed to calm down as he released the petrified boy who was babbling "Mne ochen' zhal' ! YA klyanus', chto oni byli zdes!"

"Nayti ikh , libo" the rugged man instructed coldly, after this everyone seemed to scurry off. No doubt looking for the meds and to Nick's horror the rugged man remained pacing around the observation deck as the teenage boy with the leg brace scurried off. His cold blue eyes surveyed the deck, his gun at the ready, before Nick heard his creaky footprints enter the room he and Sarah were in...

Nick could feel him getting closer... the guy was huge. He had to be 6 foot 5 or more in height and very well built and no doubt a killing machine, Sarah started to panic as she clutched Nick's arm tightly. He knew there was no way to negotiate to this man, he didn't know a word of Russian and this Russian man didn't sound like he knew English. The language barrier prevented peace.

The man would shoot them on sight and take back his group's meds.

The man was seconds away from spotting them...

Nick took a deep breath and with his glass shard digging into his palm, he took action...


	22. Learning New Things

**A/N: Okay, onto discussions!**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl: Thanks for the review and as always I give my opinion on the topic you raised. This time it being Jane.**

**I loved Jane, she was my favourite character in Episode 3 by a mile (mainly due to the whole shooting Troy in the dick thing) In episode 4 she maintained the cool persona she had in episode 3 and I liked that we got to learn more about her and I think (despite the damage she could have inflicted on Clementine by making her leave Sarah behind) she generally wanted to help Clementine.**

**And then... "that" scene came up. Luke and Jane were two characters I'd never in a million years see doing that, it felt very out of character and uncomfortable. It made me despise them after that, Jane not as much as Luke though, as Luke's reaction to Nick's death ticked me off. "Shit, Shit" is all you have to say when your best friend of 20 years dies? So in this story I want to avoid that route that destroyed Jane and Luke's character. Despite me disliking her by the end of episode 4 I still wanted to go with her, so I had mixed feelings on Jane. Although she did try and help Sarah at the observation deck scene it didn't seem like she gave it her all. So yeah...**

**To summarise at first I thought Jane was an improved Molly, after episode 4 she's like a cheap ripoff. **

**leafs nation- Thanks for the review! **

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- I hate Arvo too, but he seems interesting to write about, sure his a coward, but he seemed against attacking the group when they had a baby... **

**Rebloxic- I'm a Pisces myself, so I thought I add it in somewhere and that's a really interesting suggestion about Christa, maybe Arvo just wanted to help some wounded woman he met in the woods (e.g Christa) but you never know.**

**Night-Chan DragonEyes- Don't worry there be more of Clem and the group this chapter but I'm glad you're finding the Nick/Sarah scenes awesome.**

**P.S There's a new poll on my profile, vote for your favourite character!**

* * *

The world seemed to freeze for a second as Nick charged at the large man, shooting up from his hiding place (and with a war cry of a bellow) he stretched his arms and dug the shard of glass into the man's shoulder, near to his neck.

The large man nearly grunted, as Nick clung onto the shard as the man threw him off the shard with an easy lunge to her left, Nick crashed for the floor, as he went down to the floor, he tried wildly grasping for the gun that the man was holding, he clung at it for a second...

BAM!

Sarah screamed as the bullet tore through Nick's shoulder and with a shout of agony he fell to the floor, the man's face was a picture of rage as he tugged his gun from one of Nick's limp bloodstained figures and aimed directly at the top of Nick's cap...

Sarah didn't know how she did it. She wasn't being brave, it all honesty she was terrified, all she knew is that she had too stop this man from shooting Nick. She had to do _something. _She couldn't let Nick die like Carlos that was the only thing she knew at that moment.

She ran forward screaming herself as her arms flailed wildly in front of her "NOOOOOOOOO!" she wailed as the man turned confusedly towards her, her hand clutched around the body of the long rifle he was carrying. With a grunt and muttering a curse in Russian he turned to Sarah and shook her thin fingers from his rifle and with a growing rage building inside of him the large man swung the butt of his rifle at Sarah's face, with a crack and a scream of pain Sarah fell to the floor in a bloody heap.

However this distraction had done it, Nick watched through silts of eyes as Sarah tried to tackle the man and while he was turned away Nick had stood on his feet again... using both arms (and not covering his shoulder wound) he charged at the man just before the man could turn back to him and from where the glass shard was stuck in the man shoulder, Nick pulled it out with squelch before with a swoosh he stabbed the man in the neck.

The large man choked as blood dribbled from his mouth, but Nick wasn't done. In a frenzy he pulled the shard in and out of the man's neck littering it with holes as blood soaked the floor and his shoes, even as the man collapsed gurgling and gasping for oxygen as he drowned in his own blood Nick continued to stab at him, every part of his body felt numb as stab, after stab after stab occurred...

Finally when the man was completely still and his neck was a shredded mess, Nick felt a flare of pain rush up his left arm as blood rained from his shoulder. Clenching his teeth in agony, he pressed down hard on his shoulder wound to stop the blood flow as he looked up to where Sarah was watching him, sobbing silently, a large gash that tore a jagged hole in the left side of her cheek... that man had hit her hard indeed as she whimpered and moaned in agony...

For what felt like hours... (but was probably only a few seconds) Nick panted deeply, the adrenaline rush dying as quickly as it had come, as he realised he was as drenched in his own sweat as he was blood... soaking and shivering and aching all over. He lifted his head backwards and sighed, what happened next seemed to happen without him thinking about it, he extended the now red glass shard towards a still staring Sarah.

"Use it" he rasped.

Shakily she took the sticky shard of glass from his fingers as she twirled it in her own.

"You need to learn to kill Walkers Sarah, this can be your first" he panted as he gestured at the back of the man's placid forehead, the smooth unbroken skin spreading across his scalp reminded Sarah of fields of untouched snow... and she had... leave her mark in it.

A crimson red stamp.

"I can't... I'm not strong enough... my face hurts..." she whined as Nick silenced her.

"Sarah... if you don't start here, where do we start?" he asked of her as she couldn't answer and he ploughed on "Look, I don't really care what shape your in, you could be in worse shape when you kill walkers in future. I can talk about it all you want but until you actually start taking action and killing walkers it won't mean shit. You have to do this Sarah" he begged of her as Nick noticed the man's finger twitch.

"You better hurry" he added.

Sarah was panicking now, not only had she witnessed Nick murder someone brutally right in front of her, now she was being asked to finish the job... she felt dirty... and it was scary. Yet as she looked back at Nick's serious eyes she knew there was no way she could whine any more, she couldn't get him to do this for her. With a sigh she looked down on at the back of the man's head and raised her shaking hands as she prepared (for the first time) to actually stab something.

"Come on Sarah, you can do it" Were Nick's whispered words of encouragement as Sarah's gut seemed to burn as she inhaled and plunged the shard into the man's head.

She gasped as the glass shard burst through the man's brains, as he truly died. She opened her eyes a creak as she gazed upon the gory sight, as she expected something dramatic to happen or expected it to be a great challenge as she stabbed someone for the first time.

Nothing happened.

Puzzled she pulled the shard out of his head, although this was harder, nothing world shattering occurred as a thin trickle of blood rolled down the back of the man's head. Even looking at the gory wound didn't make Sarah flinch as hard as she though it would. She had killed a walker.

She had killed a walker. Yet nothing had changed, the world hadn't shattered as Sarah imagined it would, a weird numb feeling overtook her body as she gazed back at Nick.

"That's it?" she said, the whole lead up to facing walker for the first time felt very anti-climatic indeed.

"They'll be harder when their moving and actually standing up, well at least we know you can stab something. how do you feel?" he asked of her.

Sarah had to pause for a moment as she racked her brains to find an answer, how did she feel? Empty? How could she tell Nick she felt empty? After a few more seconds of thinking she came up with the most honest answer.

"I feel weird, I expected it to be so much harder... but now I've killed a walker... it doesn't feel any different to what I felt like before" she told him as he nodded curtly "Well... you'll get used too it, thanks for helping me back then" he said as he referred to the fight a few minutes back.

"I just didn't want to get you killed... I just wanted to throw the gun away so no one would get hurt" she stated as she gazed at Nick and then at the man below him. "Was... he a bad man Nick? Because... when you killed him... that was scary" she stuttered as Nick rested an hand on her shoulder.

"He was, I know it's scary but that man would have killed us. We had to kill him to survive, I don't like killing or stealing from these people... but fuck... I wanna get back to Luke and the others and I'm sure you want to get back do to" she nodded at his words, as Nick smiled and said "Okay, you've done good today Sarah" she beamed back at him and muttered a timid "Thanks"

"Well this guy had a lot of stuff on him" with his single hand Nick picked up the large rifle the man had been carrying and found a smaller pistol from his trouser pocket which he handed to Sarah "It's got 6 bullets, this is yours and use it only if you have too" Nick emphasised the last words as Sarah pocketed it nervously. As she did Nick checked the backpack on the man's back, peering inside his eyes lightened up...

"There's food and more meds in here, with bottled water!" he slung the backpack on his back as he continued to hold his bleeding wound.

"Are you going be okay?" Sarah asked.

"Fine, we'll patch ourselves up once were away from here, we don't want to linger around before any more of them show up" he stated as Sarah nodded in agreement "Can you hold the meds by the way? I've kinda got my hands full" Nick said as he gestured to his one hand that was still covering his bullet wound, with the rifle also juggled in that hand, sliding between his fingers...

"Sure, I'll can do it" Sarah said and although the bin-bag was heavy, she found herself doing something useful for once.

She had killed a walker and was now helping carry supplies, she didn't feel different.

But she knew, (as they managed to flee the civil war site without encountering any angry Russians) she was starting to act different.

* * *

"GEEEEEET UP!" Came Troy's mocking sing song voice through the shutter as Clementine groaned and pulled Eddie's jacket further over her shoulders as she braced herself for another dull day. Now it was morning the awkwardness of staring at everyone bare was much more apparent. Especially Kenny who she had known for a while... it felt very strange indeed.

"How'd you sleep?" Kenny asked as Clementine averted her eyes as stared at a spot on the ground as she muttered back "Fine, this jacket helped" she said pointing at it, as Kenny nodded. She noticed her shadow still over her, she dared to look up to see he was gazing at her arm. She suddenly realised that the bright red jagged scar on her arm stood out like a sore thumb. Sam had really bitten deep if the scar was taking this long to heal, since Carver had pulled the bandages off last night. The wound was cleaned but was still dark red and raw to the touch.

Sensitive about her wound she quickly shoved it out of sight in the robes of the over-large jacket draped around her.

"Clem, that scar... they didn't bother to stitch it up for you?" he asked, a dangerous tone in his voice. Clementine knew instantly that this would lead to inner group conflict.

"Something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

"It's nothing Kenny, it's over just drop it" She told him firmly.

"Clem, that scar isn't gonna heal anytime soon..." he began shooting daggers at Luke, however before he could rant the shutter opened and Troy entered lugging a cartload of rags with him.

"Bill's got some uniforms for you!" he shouted, Clementine noticed that he gaze was averted, something an argument seeking Kenny picked up on in an instant.

"What's a matter Troy? You seemed comfortable laughing at us when we were nude last night" Kenny commented as Troy shot a glare to the sky above him and rustled the rifle in his hands "Shut the fuck up! Bill's been kind enough to give you folks clothes so I'd suggest you'd put the on! All expect for the pregnant bitch, she's off for the next few weeks!" and with that in mind he turned away and closed the shutter.

"Hey come back Troy! Wanna laugh at us again! Are you uncomfortable with us! Uncomfortable with this!?" he shouted and that this point he grabbed his... parts and made a very crude gesture in Troy's direction.

"Kenny! Not in front of Clem!" Sarita gasped, her palms planting themselves over Clementine's eyes.

"Dude... gross..." Wyatt moaned, as Shel and Vince were already slapping on the clothes and handing out the wrinkled rags to the rest of the inmates in the pen.

"Their mechanic uniforms" Bonnie noted, slipping into the greasy blue jumpsuit as as she rolled down the sleeves that were too big for her "Well at least we can all be identified now, it's like sticking labels on cows to the slaughter" Kenny muttered angrily putting his own uniform on as Bonnie handed one that had crudely cut sleeves and and legs and was noticeably smaller than the rest, towards Clementine.

"Looks like Carver wanted to make this one for you" Bonnie told her as she slipped into the itchy jumpsuit, due to the fact her sleeves were cut exposing by her arms, Clementine's scar stood out as clearly as ever, as she tried to hold it by folding her one arm over the other. The scar still throbbed in pain to her dismay.

"Well my first night in the pen, at least it can only get better" Vince told Shel as he put on his uniform.

"Are sure about that Vince, no more nude ladies for you to stare at?" Shel reminded him with a raised eyebrow as he chuckled lightly, as he did Luke helped Rebecca into her uniform even though she wasn't working there was no doubt she was still required to wear it as there was a spare uniform for her.

"How are you Rebecca?" Clementine decided to ask as the woman climbed back into her bed as she tried to rest "I'm fine baby girl, I was just thinking about Alvin and that poor woman I saw last night" she said raising Clementine's interest as Luke explained to her.

"Rebecca's been telling me about some woman she saw last night who jumped from the roof" Luke told her sadly.

"I was sitting over there by the barricade... I just had to get out that stuffy bed and I was thinking about Alvin and just gazing out there, when I hear someone sobbing so I look up and see this woman. Just standing on the edge of the roof, she just stood there sobbing for about twenty minutes and I just watched, in silence waiting to see what would happen. before she finally jumped with a rope around her neck..." she paused here as she sighed and massaged her eyelids.

A suicide, why would somehow commit suicide?" Kenny asked, as Clementine turned around to see everyone was silently listening in on what Rebecca had seen and said as Rebecca muttered "Well stop and think about it, maybe that woman just felt a little guilty after what happened to us last night..." she trailed off there as Kenny looked at her blankly.

"And?" he inquired.

"God you are thick, and Grizzly Adams it means that people here aren't happy with what Bill's doing. That woman must have felt guilty herself, or stressed, or whatever. All I know is whatever problems she had, what Bill did to us last night drove her over the edge and she killed herself. _Meaning, that were not the only one's who disagree with Bill"_

The second these words left her mouth for the group to soak in the shutter opened again, as Tavia stepped in "Before you get to work Bill wants a word with you all, so all of you other than Rebecca, haul your asses to the expansion" she ordered as the group looked at each other.

Wondering what was too come of this.


	23. True Colours?

**A/N: Okay by the looks of the poll Clementine is the leader, with Nick, Sarah and Bonnie tied 2nd and Wyatt, Eddie and Kenny tied for 3rd. Thanks for everyone who voted! **

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- I started with the game, before reading the comics (which were awesome at the start but have been going downhill lately) the characters Glenn and Hershel are from the comic. But also appear in the TV show. But the TV show is a separate universe to the comic book/game universe. I've watched the TV show and it has it's good moments but is not as good as the game or the comics.**

**However the game remains the best, my first issues with it only rising recently with "Amid The Ruins" (as I've listed my reasons beforehand) however watching the TV show or comic doesn't affect how I make my decisions in the game. Anyhow glad you're still enjoying the story! **

**Night-Chan-DragonEyes- Thanks for your review! I'm really making Carver a douche aren't I? If you read the comic governor seems more like Carver than the TV version, as the comic governor goes full on psycho and before he does... his acts of cruelty (e.g cutting off Rick's hand) reflect Carver's actions of destroying one of Kenny's eyes. So I can see Carver going more comic governor than TV Governor. and don't worry I think everyone whose reviewed wants Carver to suffer the most painful death possible. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks (as always) for your reviews!**

**P.S. I always want to say thanks to everyone for giving me a lot of long reviews, with lots of tips, advice and suggestions in them. Really it fuels me to carry on writing when I get such reviews! So cheers and keep em coming! **

* * *

The group trailed behind Tavia in a united cluster as they all moved forwards like a crab, in the sea of blue uniforms Clementine felt comfortable as she knew she was surrounded by her sturdy tower blocks of friends, who would remain standing and would remain protecting her... she had already gotten them this far. She wasn't going to back down now.

Entering a dusty room in the expansion, Tavia held open the door as she growled "In" at the pen dwellers who filled inside in a single file. Looking up Clementine could once again see everybody in Howard's Hardware had been gathered. The masses still stood at around 40-ish people, while the higher privileged, (Like Troy or Tavia) stood around Carver, their guns trained on the crowd as Carver spoke to them all, pacing up and down...

"... I keep telling you, were dropping like flies! Do you think I want to wipe you all out!? Well!? Cause I don't! But I have too if were having sings of rebellion in our midst..."

Clementine interest was fixated on Carver at the mention of the word "Rebellion" what was this? What was going on?

"Thankfully Anna was a lone wolf, she tried to steal our supplies and try to draw walkers into this community, henceforth destroying it. Thankfully we were able to stop her and when you go outside you can all see what becomes of people who try to rebel...!" Carver was ranting, his face red as he had to deal with the stress of trying to force control upon these people.

"His lying" Kenny stated what was already obvious to the rest of the pen dwellers.

"Why lie about a suicide and turn her into a rebel though? Won't that inspire more rebellions?" Vince asked of the group as Luke sighed and ran a hand through his straggly hair and answered Vince's question.

"It's clever, think about it Bill's trying to enforce his power here. So what's gonna frighten people more into submission than the mutilation of a lone rebel added to what he did to us last night? His trying to show that whoever rebels against him, ends up like us, or her" he explained as Vince nodded dumbfounded.

"His just ruling through fear now then" Shel said gazing up at him, her eyes burning as she muttered "Becca, Anna, Nick and Sarah, Reggie... the list goes on. _He has order but no respect" _she concluded.

"Anna wouldn't rebel! She respected you Bill! I just can't believe she do something like this!" A woman shouted from the front of the group as Carver shook his head sadly, with an perfected look of sorrow on his face, "I'm truly sorry for your loss Vera... but... it appears Anna wasn't really your friend if she planned to rebel alone" he said patting her shoulder slowly as she dissolved into sobs.

"THAT'S BULLSHIT! WE SAW THE GIRL JUMP!"

Oh how Clementine wished there was a filter between Kenny's head and mouth.

Carver's head snapped upwards as he glared at Kenny through silts as he coughed and muttered "You're suggesting suicide? Anna was a strong woman she wouldn't dare just give up"

"She did seem shocked after what you did last night Bill" a man from the crowd commented.

"and she rebelled! and we stopped her! That's the end of the story! Now you know what will happen to the rest of you if you dare to step out of line! Those people...!" he pointed an accusing finger at the blue clump of the pen dwellers, as Clementine felt forty pairs of eyes rest on the group around her. "They want nothing but trouble! They'll sprout any sort of bullshit to get you people hyped! Remember they've done wrong and their in reform!" he ranted on to his group who were shuffling awkwardly.

"But you've treated them like slaves!" A woman cried.

"You went too far with their punishment Bill!" Another man bellowed.

It was like a crescendo, more and more angry shouts were building up from around Clementine and her head felt light... were the group... rebelling against Carver?

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Carver finally roared over the clambering of angry voices as he aimed his gun upwards and fired, the gunshot brought a shocked silence over the remainder of the group. As the commotion died down Carver piped up again, looking utterly insane as he spat...

"YOU'RE UPSET HUH!? YOU'RE ANGRY HUH!? I'M TRYING TO LEAD THIS UNGRATEFUL GROUP AND ALL YOU PEOPLE DO IS MOAN ABOUT THOSE WHO SUFFER! THOSE THAT SUFFER AND DIE!? THEIR WEAK! THEY DON'T DESERVE PITY OR GRIEF FROM US! YOU'VE ALL GOT TO TOUGHEN THE FUCK UP AND LEARN THAT TOUGH IS ALL WE GOT NOW! GET THAT THROUGH YOUR FUCKING SKULLS!"

He was panting heavily as he finished, the group looked petrified at this words, as Carver had truly blown his top, whatever sort of dignity he had as a calm and level headed leader faded in that instant. As everyone had seen the paranoid, insane, brutal, viscous psychopath that lay behind the hologram image of a leader who was kind to all and capable of making the tough decisions.

But the beatings... unnecessary murders for the greater good... exiles and the manipulation of this girl's death, revealed to Clementine something she should have clocked on in the second that Carver had walked through that cabin door.

He was a bully. A power hungry bully, claiming to kill and beat the weak for the greater good was a load of crap. Maybe it started off like that but over time Carver had steadily grown more insane. Killing and beating the weak more for his own amusement rather than survival. As Eddie (of all people) wisely whispered to Eddie.

"Saving us? At this rate he won't have a group left to save"

Carver gazed across the silent room and addressed the observers with one last snarl "I do this for the greater good, you think is harsh but were all still here after 2 years, _we have to do want we need, not what we want." _

Lies.

"It's Bullshit" Clementine found herself thinking darkly, he had come all the way to hunt down the cabin survivors because he wanted his baby. He killed Reggie for no reason probably other than to scare Clementine and Sarah. He killed Becca for a similar reason, he exiled Sarah and Nick (killed them as well probably) for the same reason. He lied about the girl (Anna's death) for the same God damn reason!

He did what he wanted.

Now his image of this great leader was fading and he knew, hence his increased angry behaviour and more psychopathic side coming to the surface. As he left the room with Troy beside him leaving the rest of the crowd to get funnelled off to their work posts Clementine could only worry that he might do something drastic. She remembered her hair standing on end after Kenny's outburst, yet now he was leaving the room with not only his eye but also his life. (Which for a few seconds) Clementine didn't think he would be.

"You're with Vince today Clementine, you're working on the building the new expansion to the east" Tavia snapped at them.

"Of course I am" she thought bitterly, hardly surprised that the other pen dwellers got similar jobs by building further "new" expansions. No doubt these were the most risky jobs and Carver wanted them dead. They'd be shot for not working and probably killed by walkers in the exposed car park, all a way for Carver to try and indirectly kill them without coating his hands in more blood and provoking a rebellion.

Well, it was a bit late for that.

...

She and Vince were escorted to the car park, Clementine couldn't help but look up as she noted several of the other workers around the store were pointing to her and whispering amongst each other. No doubt about her or the others, she caught a few curious glances coming her way but pretended to ignore them all as she headed towards the car park.

"You're out here, you know what to do and how to build, just don't die on the job" Were Tavia's only words as she slammed the door shut behind them, leaving Vince and Clementine with a toolbox and a few planks of wood.

Vince walked up to the toolbox and held up a small saw and muttered "Reckon we could take down Carver with this?"

Clementine laughed lightly as she dug her hand into the toolbox and pulled out a small hammer "Well... Carver beware we have DIY equipment" she commented dryly holding the hammer up to the heavens as Vince bent over in doubles, wheezing and chuckling at Clementine's comment. When he finally regained himself he smiled down at her while wiping his eyes "Jeez kid you're funny" he gasped as he finally glanced at the planks of wood and sighed.

"I guess we better actually do some work, or else get eaten" he said as picked up a large plank of wood and held it in the air "Clem can you put the support at the bottom of this? So it will stand?"

And that's how it went for the next half an hour, with a crude blueprint drawn up by Carver, the two had to follow the semi-circular pattern of the expansion to cover the door behind them that led right into the hardware store. "I'm surprised it took them this long to get this done" Vince panted as Clementine stuck another triangular support beam at the bottom of the plank. At Vince's touch the plank's swayed horribly but they stood never the less. "A few walkers on these and they'll collapse, barricades take time to make strong" he commented as they finished the last plank.

"Yeah, but I'm more worried about Carver now than the walkers" Clementine admitted.

"I feel you kid, that guy has snapped and I'm worried his going to go Al Pacino on all our asses, pulling out a gun and just slaughtering everyone in the pen..." he sighed as he rubbed his hands through his jet black greasy hair. "Still, we haven't got to speak a lot have we Clem?" he told her.

"Yeah, so many of us are in the pen now it's been hectic" she said.

"You could say this, but I'm glad I rebelled against Carver, well I screwed up but still... I don't want to be involved with a dictator" he muttered as he and Clementine slowly got to work on hammering more planks of wood onto the existing backbone of the barricade. "I know what it's like to make a tough decision, at the start of all this I had to leave someone behind to save myself..." He said as he got lost in memory lane.

"What happened?" Clementine asked intrigued looking past Vince's bruised face and into his eyes as she shook his head.

"I was on a prison bus, don't ask why... but I just was okay? I did something bad I'll leave it at that... anyway walkers start piling onto the bus when this thing started... me and two other guys were trapped on these chains on the bus... we couldn't find the key to get ourselves free. So I managed to get a shotgun from one of the police guards and since I couldn't break the damn chain with it I had to shoot one of the guys in the foot to release the chain..." he sighed as he glanced upwards.

"When Tavia first brought us here, I thought Bill was that guy... the guy who could understand decisions like that. He seemed like everyone's saviour and at first he generally meant well... but now, now his too far gone" Vince told Clementine as they continued to hammer into the screws into the barricade.

"Yeah, I've had to make decisions like that" Clementine said thinking sadly of Lee.

"One of those decisions, involve you getting that scar there?" Vince asked gazing down at the beet red scar that stood out on her bare arm. Clementine decided to open up to Vince as he had done for her.

"A dog bit me I had to stitch it up myself because the guys at the cabin thought I'd been bitten by a walker. After that they were kind to me though" She added not wanting to land Rebecca and Luke in hot water despite Vince's questioning look.

"A dog? Damn must have really hated you" Vince remarked.

"It wanted my food" Clementine said.

"Man's best friend my ass, in this world I swear to God nothing can be trusted" He puffed as they continued to work.

After a short while however Vince turned back to chat to her again "I know you guys were thinking of escaping this place but..."

"No" Clementine said her mind was made up since she had seen Carver cracking "Escaping now would be stupid, at first I thought it would be the best thing to do... but now..." she shook her head as Vince raised his small saw once again.

"Rebellion it is then? because this community would be perfect if we could just get Bill and a few of his lapdogs out of the way" he suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but let's take it slow" Clementine told him, no doubt every other pen dweller would be thinking of the same thing, especially after today.

And no doubt it wasn't just the pen dwellers either.

* * *

Sarah crouched over the fast flowing river as she slowly filled her canteen with another water to keep her and Nick hydrated for a couple more days. Nick watched her curiously, was he actually helping her to survive? He couldn't even help himself so how on earth was he helping her?

He smiled warmly in the weak sunlight, it was actually quite calm here... no walkers... no bandits (from what he could tell) for once he actually felt relaxed. Which was a strange feeling indeed after all the stress and paranoia of being constantly chased by Carver and oppressed by him and then the threats of the walkers...

"Hey Nick! Can we patch up our wounds now!" Sarah called to him as she turned to face him.

Nick jogged forward lightly, for once actually anticipating something rather than dread it.


	24. Something Beginning With C

**A/N: Okay so Clementine is in the lead with poll, while Sarah is taking the silver and Nick taking the bronze. Thanks again guys for votes and now onto some discussions!**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl: I'll check out those fanfics when I get time, the one about Troy seems particularly interesting and I like that outlook, it's what I'm doing with Nick and Sarah and fanfiction is a key chance to develop existing characters further. As for fanfictions that I'd recommened I do have a list...**

**_A New Day_- The best on this fandom by a mile, Season 1 set but develops the existing characters to a great degree (and Carley survives!)**

**_Butterflies_- A season 2 fic with the second amount of highest reviews, a Sarah/Clem fic I've read a few chapters and it seems pretty good!**

**_No Going Back-_ Same title as this story just without the question mark, it is set out very well and is a very good prediction of what awaits us in episode 5.**

**_The Unluckies Luke and Clementine Fanfiction_- A friendship fic that focuses on Luke and Clementine, there is no Cluke and no "Clem is 18 in this..." line. (Clem being 18 makes the "Cluke" shipping less creepy, but I still don't support the shipping no matter what the age as I just can't see them hooking up) no this a gem of a story if you're looking for just the big brother Luke and little sister Clem dynamic. **

**_Friends Forever_- A good season 2 fic that occurs after the escape from Carver's camp, it has a sad ending though.**

**_Black hair and blue eyes_- Only one chapter but has already drawn me in, and focuses on a unique pairing (A nick-centric fanfiction) **

**I'll stick with those 6 as my top recommendations so far. But if you want any more, just let me know.**

**Rebloxic- Will a fan favourite die? I can't answer that but if a rebellion does occur you can be promised a couple of deaths for sure (especially knowing Carver) thanks for the continued support! **

**NN009- Carver and the joker? Actually if you cake Carver in make up... I can see a comparison (as well as the whole being insane thing as well) **

**Night-Chan- DragonEyes- I beginning to enjoy reading your reviews more and more as I like how many predictions and thoughts you give, and as for something dangerous coming up... you shall wait and you'll see...**

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Thanks for the review and did you notice the Grizzly adams reference at the end of chapter 22, (I added it based off your review regarding Kenny, I do take reviews into consideration!) **

**and finally AquaDesintysEmbrace thanks for the reviews as always! and now onto the chapter! **

* * *

"Ow... ow... ow..." Sarah was beeping like a heart motioner as Nick used his good arm to slowly stitch up the large gash on her cheek back together, (Nick himself found the suitable stitching kit in the depths of the man's bag) Sarah tried her hardest to be tough, but this was too much pain... she had tried to be good and stay still for Nick but another sharp jab of the needle into her open flesh caused her to squeal and jump away from him.

Nick cursed and muttered "Damn it Sarah, come on I'm nearly done" Sarah tried to breath deeply, it felt like the right side of her face was on fire as red hot blood trickled down the side of her face. Sarah herself had identified the peroxide bottle in the man's bag that would be perfect for cleaning out both their wounds and would prevent infection. Sarah knew this from her father and the fact that she handed Clementine a bottle weeks back.

When Nick poured the peroxide on her face, Sarah screamed to the heavens above. Never in all of her life had something been that painful. It was that excruciating, her whole world seem to go dizzy as the right side of her face burned while she screamed in blind agony... however this sensation faded after a few seconds leaving her sobbing and Nick nervously checking the treeline for walkers... when none of them turned up he prepared to stitch up the wound on Sarah's face.

It must have only been a couple of minutes, but the agonizing sensation of having her skin pulled back together seemed to drag on for hours for Sarah wept and tried to be tough... only now had she broken and needed a break from the endless jabbing and pain that coursed through her body...

"Come on Sarah, If Clem could do this, in a shed and by herself than you can too" Nick encouraged her as Sarah took a deep breath... she could do this...

"Okay" she sobbed weakly as she clenched her eyes (and teeth) shut as the next platter of pain engulfed her. She tried sitting on her hands to prevent them from slapping Nick's face away and yet she was about to wriggle free before Nick muttered "Done" as Sarah dared to open her eyes. Was it over? Was it really truly over? In curiosity she leant over the river bank to gaze at her reflection in the fast flowing water.

She saw the professional looking white stitches embedded neatly into the cut onto her cheek "I've never had stitches before" she murmured to her reflection unaware that Nick overhead her.

"Well it's a new you Sarah, with that badass scar and all" he muttered as Sarah went pale as her hands flew to her face.

"This is gonna leave a scar... forever!" She gasped in panic, not liking the thought of that ugly scar coating her cheek until the day she died. Nick chuckled at the girl's reaction, even in a zombie apocalypse a small part of Sarah still cared about her appearance.

"I'm just joking, it doesn't look like the wound is that deep, that should heal in time" he reassured her as she relaxed slightly as Nick finished laughing he rolled down his shirt to gaze upon the red hole in his shoulder "Well I guess the joke's on me" he muttered sadly as he braced himself...

Gazing at the wound and past the layers of broken and crusty skin he caught a glimpse of gold within the wound.

The bullet still rested in his shoulder, with a sigh he prepared himself to get the thing out as Sarah gazed on in horror.

"You're going to pull that out!?" she asked in horrified awe.

"Yeah... get the bandages and peroxide ready Sarah" Nick instructed as he clasped his two index fingers and thumb on the golden bullet, as much as he didn't want to do this... he did not want to be seen as weaker than a 15 year old who could handle a face-full of stitches better than he expected... and Clementine an 11 year old who had stitched up her own arm without shedding a tear (and then killed a walker... just for added effect) call it male pride but Nick was a grown man he would not act more cowardly towards pain than 2 little girls. He had to be tough as well.

Bracing himself, he inhaled deeply as his whole body tensed and then with all the strength remaining in his good arm he pulled on the bullet.

Almost instantly it popped out of his arm as it fell to the floor, yet this also followed with a spurt of Nick's blood as well.

Nick was proud of himself for handling the sharp unpleasant pain with a disinterested grunt, but what he didn't expect was for Sarah to shyly creep up behind him and in her panic, pour half the bottle of peroxide over his wound. He froze for a second as it seemed molten lava was trailing down his arm as pain erupted from his every pore.

"SHIT!" He bellowed to the sky as Sarah quickly saved the bottle of Peroxide from spilling to the floor by shielding it from Nick's wild arm that fell short of hitting the bottle and sending it spilling to the floor by mere inches. As she did this Nick clenched his teeth together as the hellish pain quickly throbbed away but still left him blurry eyed as he gasped heavily and tried to pass it off, playing a tough guy as he grunted against and lifted his head to find Sarah offering him the clean white bandages.

"Thanks" he muttered grabbing it and wrapping it tight around his bleeding shoulder. The bleeding finally stopped as Nick sighed, although his shoulder still ached he knew that at least the risk of infection was gone. Added to the fact they didn't use up medical supplies from the bin bag and rather from the man's bag itself... and speaking of supplies...

"Come on let's have a quick picnic, hell I'm starving to death" Nick noted, swigging some of the water from the canteen down his sore neck, the cooling effect this had on him was refreshing to say the very least, as Sarah followed suite and made an "Aaah" in satisfaction as she felt herself be rehydrated.

"That was good" she said reaching for some beans in the man's bag yet she couldn't open it, Nick watched her for a little while before handing her a small knife that also lay resting at the bottom of the bag (other than that and the guns there were no other weapons)

"What's this for?" she asked as Nick handed it too her.

"A knife, I figured you could use it for more than just stabbing walkers" he gestured at the bottle "You want to learn to survive you gotta know how to eat what you find, and since of lot of is canned you need to learn to open a can. So use your knife there to open the lid" he told her as she gripped the knife (and for the second time today) stabbed something. Using her growing strength, the knife penetrated through the lid as she stared at it.

"Now you gotta slide the knife across the lid so you open it from all sides" Nick told her. Admittedly dragging the knife across the lid was harder than simply stabbing it. Yet (after nearly cutting her fingers a dozen times) she managed to chuck the broken lid from the can and gazed at the awaiting beans for her inside. Digging her hands inside she chewed on the first couple of beans and smiled happily as she ate once again...

"Mmmm... I love beans" she told Nick who was helping himself to a can of his own. They ate in silence, Sarah crouched up and Nick was lying down staring at the midday sky, as the clouds drifted lazily by...

Swallowing a large chunk of beans Sarah turned to face Nick as she lamented on a sad fact "I remember when getting food was so much easier than this" she whined as she helped herself to another cluster of beans as Nick closed his eyes, it really was peaceful here...

"A lot of things were easier before... now it's all harder" he muttered, these weren't words of wisdom. These were common facts that Nick wanted to hammer into Sarah's head so she could be quiet for a minute as he enjoyed a rare silence yet Sarah wasn't one to stay silent for too long.

"How old are you Nick?" she asked.

"21, you?" he muttered back.

"15" she responded lightly as Nick tried to relax his aching limbs, sensing that he didn't want to talk Sarah tried to copy the position he was in as she laid herself causally on the ground and closed her eyes... listening to the sounds of nature around her as she nestled herself into the ground. The flow of the river and the humming of the birds... she liked quiet places. She only wished her dad could see this though...

After a while of silence in which Nick relaxed on, Sarah finally broke the silence in a very good mood she made an offer.

"Let's play I-spy!" She chimed excitedly, remembering her days in the back of her father's car when she and her mother would play games of I-Spy to pass the time.

Nick merely grunted in response. Not really in the mood, Sarah ploughed on anyway.

"I-Spy with my little eye something beginning with a... T!" she exclaimed.

"Tree" Nick answered without even opening his eyes as Sarah gasped.

"How'd you know that?" she asked in awe.

"Were surrounded by Tree's doesn't take a genius to figure it out" He muttered as Sarah nodded and said "Okay, now it's your turn"

Nick groaned and rolled over but decided to try and test her with a difficult answer, he lifted himself to a standing position as he saw a squirrel nibbling something in the trees.

"I spy... something beginning with an S" he said, barely believing he was playing such a childish game while exposed out in the open. Yet he couldn't help himself, he guessed he was simply a kid inside too.

Squirrel" Sarah responded instantly as Nick's mouth dropped open, and he muttered "How...?"

"You're looking right at it, it was so easy to figure out..." she was babbling on at a million miles an hour as she smiled and said "Okay... I spy with something beginning with a... C!"

Nick looked around generally puzzled by this, as nothing nearby was labelled with a "C" as Sarah gave him a teasing look and giggled "So... give up yet?"

"No" Nick snapped, he would not be outsmarted by a 15 year old girl, he noticed she was looking up and as she did, Nick looked up too and that's when the answer hit him.

"Clouds!" he exclaimed triumphantly only to have his hopes dashed when Sarah shook her head and muttered "Oh come on I'm looking at it"

"You're looking up Sarah and the only thing up there are clouds, it can't be anything else!" Nick grunted angrily.

"Do you give up then?" Sarah asked when Nick nodded in shame, Sarah smiled and pointed up, up at him as he looked on confused.

"Cap" she said as Nick gazed at her "I was looking up at your cap" she told him, as he went to slap himself. How the hell had he been so stupid? Yet as Sarah laughed at him, he couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Okay... you got me, I'll give you that one" he told her lightly.

Minutes later, up, refreshed, rested and patched up they were ready to move, with their supplies at the ready and in better moods they re-entered the forest it was only then Sarah muttered "Um... Nick where is the way back?"

Nick froze, not really sure himself as the pine forest had no notable landmarks, yet he remembered the way they had run from the civil war museum yet he knew they were now lost in this mass forest. Following his gut he told Sarah "I dunno, but I think we came from this way, so let's go"

She wasn't convinced, yet they were moving in some direction which was a start.

Ready to face whatever was next.

* * *

Clementine and Vince had done an exhausting job that day, it had just reached early evening when Troy of all people demanded that Carver wanted to see Clem in his office.

"Knock em dead" Vince muttered to her as she left him working on the expansion, although whether that was literal or a joke remained up for debate.

Following Troy she noticed people were (once again) staring at pointing at her she tried hard to ignore this... but it was quite hard when she actually hear her name amidst the whispers that made her more paranoid than ever...

She ascended the dreaded steps up to Carver' office wondering what sort of lecture she was going to get this time, as Troy lead her inside the doors, she nearly bumped into Kenny who was leaving through the office she could see his old cap was perched back onto his head, seeing his grey-ish black hairs underneath his ever-present cap had been strange now it was back on Clementine wondered how he had obtained it from Carver.

Kenny didn't say anything but gave her a cautious glare as she stepped inside before she could ask him a question, Troy slammed the door shut leaving her alone with Carver himself who leered at her from where he was sat at his desk.

"Sit" he growled like a lion as Clementine stepped forward to the chair in front of Carver's desk she noticed that in bloody black chair in the corner, slumped unconscious in the corner was...

"Luke!" she gasped, the young man was had a fresh set of bruises riddled on his face, and blood drenched his clothes, yet he was still breathing so he wasn't dead. Despite this she couldn't help but wonder what had gotten Luke into this chair while hot headed Kenny had left the room completely unharmed.

"What did you do to him!?" she demanded of Carver.

"He didn't comply, now sit if you don't want to end up like him" he muttered darkly as he watched Clementine's every step, as she sat down she noticed Alvin Junior asleep in a little crib behind Carver's desk.

"His cute isn't he? My son Billy, surely no one would be cruel enough to have his daddy miss his birth" he said coldly to Clementine.

"His called Alvin and his not your son" Clementine responded glaring right back at him.

"Wrong, Clem, all wrong now... shall we begin here?" he asked of her as she curtly nodded wondering what on earth Carver wanted know.

"As you're aware we made a deal a few days back, it's because of that deal I have my son with me now, if not 90 per cent of your fellow pen dwellers would be dead right now. But I reckon I punished you accordingly and now I want to make it up to you" he said as Clementine's eyes widened as he produced the photo of Lee and her old cap from behind his desk.

"My things" she murmured.

"Yes, they seem very valuable a photo of daddy and the cap he gave you" Carver informed her, Clementine didn't correct him on what the objects really were but all he knew was that they meant a hell of a lot to her and that's all he needed to know.

"You know it would be a shame if... I were to destroy them like you destroyed a father-son moment" he growled the malice in his voice growing as he produced a lighter, he clicked it on and held it dangerously close below the photo of Lee.

"DON'T!" Clementine begged instantly, that photo that ripped thing which she went all the way back to the drugstore in Macon to retrieve had kept her going in the long 16 months after Omid died, like hell she would lose not only that but her dad's cap in one go. These items were simply too precious to her.

"Got your weak point it seems" Carver smiled as he flicked off his lighter and smiled "I'll give you these back along as you agree to my deal" he offered, no doubt this was a very shady deal as Clementine felt herself recoil... but her objects... but were objects really more important than her friend's lives.

"What's the deal?" she asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out when I decide to tell you" he told her cryptically "Don't worry though it doesn't involve killing any of your fellow pen dwellers I stick by my promise and it's fair you do the same" he said, as Clementine gazed into his eyes. He had blown his top this morning and now was suddenly back to his cold, manipulative self? This didn't add up, whatever Carver had in mind Clementine knew it wasn't good news at all.

But if she refused she'd be beaten like Luke and have her personal possessions destroyed. "Everyone other than Luke agreed to this, so you're not the wrong here, you're simply staying loyal to your friends" Carver told her as he flicked his lighter on and off "Or you could let your damn pride and morales get in the way and end up like Luke there" he offered the alternative. As Clementine sighed, she had seen Kenny with his old cap... if they agreed then surely... what harm could it do? Call it conformity but she had to agree.

"Fine, I agree now give me my stuff back" she demanded as Carver did. Clementine pocketed the photo with a smile and placed her familiar cap back onto her head.

Yet when she looked up and saw Carver's face, it was radiating with a smug happiness that made Clementine regret her decision almost instantly.

"Good girl, now get back to the pen, I believe supper's ready" he told her as she got up and headed towards the door, two guards entered to drag an unconscious Luke back to the pen with her. As she looked up at the beaten man, was he really the only one who went against this "deal". Did he know it's true nature or was he simply being self-righteous and refusing any of Carver's bull?

Well until he woke up she wouldn't know.

She only wished she was like him now, beaten but with a clean conscious yet as she still had Lee with her, well her photo of Lee and her cap.

And whatever Carver was planning, he should have been aware that his community was planning back against him.


	25. Eleven To Blame

**A/N: Okay, so I'll begin my discussions! **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks as always for your lengthy reviews and I'm glad I'm keeping you hooked so far, and as for discussions I have got a key point I want to discuss... do you feel that the lack of romance or sex in the game is what makes it better? An odd point but one I agree with, although we've had a few occurrences of romance or sex (e.g Molly's deal, the girl in the woods daughter were it's suggested she was raped and Jane in general and a hint of Carlee) however other than this I liked the game so much because it could form such a strong friendships, or paternal relationships, which was a stark contrast to so many games and movies today that are fixated on romance and sex in particular. I was first drew to the game because of how well it functioned without these themes. Do you agree?**

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Thanks, I'm glad you're becoming a regular reviewer and have strong opinions on the characters and events. I look forward to your thoughts with each passing chapter!**

**Night-Chan-DragonEyes- Yeah I'm still enjoying your reviews and I'm glad the story is keeping you reading and guessing, I enjoyed writing about the Nick and Sarah I-Spy game it was a nice difference to the usual gloomy tone I set for this story. I might try to incorporate more humour in time (I always grow on characters that make me laugh, so I want to do the same here) either way expect glum things ahead and Carver's deal is gonna be bad...**

**AvengedVeralin- Your first review and the one that made my day! Seriously, your praise has just fuelled and motivated me to write on. I loved how you commented on the decisions having bad consequences no matter which way they went. I tried to make the decisions Clementine had to make in the "grey" zone, with no clear right or wrong to them. Even the decision with whether Clementine should or shouldn't have accepted Carver's deal (I've noticed) has divided opinion among the reviewers. With XXXWOLFLOVERXXX agreeing with Clementine whereas others such as yourself and Apathy wouldn't have made that decision. **

**and finally Rebloxic and AquaDestinysEmbrace thanks for you're continued reviews!**

* * *

Clementine re-entered the pen with her gut in knots as Luke was thrown to the floor next to her as heads turned.

"Luke!" Rebecca yelled in concern from her bed as his battered form slammed against the floor, yet he didn't react as he was obviously too far gone to regain conscious from that, Clementine stared down at concern at her friend as she tried to lift him from the floor...

His lips were bleeding, both of his closed eyes were blue and puffy his nose was slowly dribbling blood as it seemed bent at angle and no doubt that under his jumpsuit lay more wounds. He really was a mess, yet despite his reddened face and messy hair, his heavy brows rested lazily above his eyes, in this state he looked peaceful... not troubled...

No doubt because he was the only one in the pen who hadn't made a deal with the devil.

She struggled to lift Luke's heavy form, before two forms were beside her, "Hey Kid we got him for you" Mike told her gently as he draped one of Luke's well built arms around his neck, Jane was silently already propping Luke's other arm around her neck as the pair lifted him and dragged him towards his bed, as they lay him there. Clementine looked on nervously as Sarita (medic of the group now for some reason) gazed over his form.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked of the Indian woman as she prodded his arms and legs, she sighed.

"Well it feels like there are bruises on the arms and legs, I'm no doctor Clementine but I know his in bad shape. He won't die but he may be out for some time" Sarita told her as she nodded, Sarita sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she took her seat around the fire next to an alert Kenny, Clementine also took her seat next to Stephanie. From behind her she swore she heard Jane mutter "Well... he looks cuter like this"

"What?" Mike inquired.

"Nothing" Jane said quickly as she took her seat by the fire, Clementine rolled her eyes at what she overheard from Jane, she hoped that her and Luke wouldn't get it on again and the wrong time. Yet despite her quick confession Jane's cold demeanour returned as she glared at the group through bronze silts as the shadows of the flame danced across her youthful face as she awaited for the discussion to continue.

"I can't believe that out of all you only Luke decline a deal with that madman" Rebecca spat at them from her bed, no doubt she was up to date with events as she knew all of this information, as Kenny stroked his cap before yelling back to Rebecca.

"You weren't there! The fucker had stuff that meant a lot to us! I wasn't gonna let him burn them!" Kenny spat.

"I would have let him burn everything I owned rather than be in his debt" Rebecca growled as she inhaled and continued "But maybe that's because all I ever want is something Bill won't burn" she sighed as she no doubt thought about her son.

"It's okay Rebecca, Alvin is in good shape his being looked after" Sarita reassured her as Rebecca shook her head violently.

"But Bill's called him fucking Billy, Billy!" she exclaimed outraged as she slammed a fist on the soft mattress as she shook in anger "I don't care if Bill is that child's biological father, Alvin is his real father" she muttered still in a seething rage.

"That... makes no sense" Jane commented dryly.

"You're an angry loner that doesn't care anyone other than herself, so I wouldn't expect you to understand anything about what's it like to be a mum" Rebecca snapped at Jane, whose thin brows furrowed in anger as Jane's next words were filled with an furious passion "You think I don't have people I cared about! I made that damn deal today to treasure some of the only things I had left..." she began.

"From who?" Rebecca asked sceptically.

"My little sister" Jane's words were like Ice, that froze Rebecca's next insult on her tongue as she suddenly saw a flash of the grieving young woman she was, rather than the strong survivalist that she portrayed as her eyes widened in sympathy at Jane, but before she could utter an apology Kenny spoke up moving the conversation forward.

"Regardless, we all made that damn deal other than Rebecca and Luke, so whatever Carver wants us to do, we have to do" Kenny explained to the group.

"Well duh Captain obvious" Wyatt muttered.

"Look guys I don't like this, we just should think of rebelling against this maniac ASAP" Vince muttered at the group, even now his eyes were flying towards the shutter in a nervous jitter, fearing that somebody was listening in.

"And how would do that?" Sarita quizzed of him.

"I dunno... we'd grab guns,saws, knives, all sorts of stuff... most of the people here would rebel against Carver, heck after today they can see what sort of maniac he is" Vince planned as Rebecca shook her head "That whole plan is based on assumptions, considering you even grabbed weapons what if people didn't side with you? Then what?" Rebecca asked of him as the Asian man stared blankly at the floor at a loss for words.

"Guys, Carver's playing a clever game, we just have to outsmart him" Stephanie chipped in.

"Outsmart Bill? The guys crazy, but I think we can all admit he is one smart motherfucker" Mike said what everyone else already knew.

"When I made the deal with Bill, he said if we disagreed with him, then Clementine's earlier deal would be invalid with whoever disagreed with him" Bonnie told them worriedly it was only then Clementine realised her wide, fearful, blue eyes were trained on Luke's prone body...

"Wait... so Carver can kill Luke now?" Clementine asked her stomach sinking as she looked at him, suddenly not wanting to leave him alone for more than two seconds.

"It would seem so darlin'" Bonnie told her in a low miserable tone.

"If so, why didn't he just shoot Luke on the spot and then told us to agree or else we'd end up like him?" Vince asked of the group, earning an answer from Rebecca.

"I know Bill best, Luke's beating was a warning. He must have known he went to far today so his keeping the illusion of these deals by not killing Luke is his way of keeping some sort of control. Think about it, if he killed Luke then he would just get more people riled up to rebel, by just beating him he still agrees with Clementine's deal and causes less of a commotion, but it was still enough to scare the rest of you into the deal" Rebecca finished her explanation to find a lot of people gawking at her astonished.

"You... really know him _too_ well" Kenny stuttered.

She laughed slightly "I know... it's the thing I hate myself most for" she told them smiling but without any humour.

"Either way, he really wanted us to agree with this deal whatever the hell it is" Stephanie informed the group as she gazed at an old photo she had withdrawn from her pocket. Gazing at her long lost relatives and friends she continued "Whatever Bill wants us to do. I know I'll do it, if it means keeping the group safe"

There were a few murmurs of agreement at this as Kenny sighed once again "The question is, would y'all be able to live with yourself with whatever Carver makes us do?" he asked of the group as Sarita shook her head sadly from next to him.

"I know everyone would do it too protect this group... but I don't know if I would be able too" she too (like Stephanie) was gazing at a photo of relatives that were long gone. Kenny placed an comforting arm around her shoulders as she began to tear up slightly at the sight of people long gone, Kenny looked at the photo briefly before resting his gaze on her.

"Sarita... I don't like it either, but I had to make decisions in the past that I've spent nights regretting... but as long as I've known that I made the right decision and protected those I cared about... Well it's what kept me goin'..." Sarita looked up at him with wider eyes and Clementine knew why. Sarita had told her that Kenny hardly ever spoken about his past to her and she wanted to know... after Sarita's death beforehand Kenny had begun to lose it. Clementine hoped that this time Kenny could form a much deeper emotional attachment with Sarita by opening up to her more about his past, it would be good for both of them.

Kenny shared a pained glance with Clementine, the words "Meat Locker" no doubt running through both of their minds.

Sarita wiped away a small tear and pulled Kenny closer to her before muttering "Thank you Kenny, but it will still be hard"

"Everything is these days" he muttered back to her, before the couple regained themselves as they readdressed the group in a more business like manner "So... anyone actually know what terrible deed Carver will have us do?" he dared to ask.

"Make us decorate the barricade with unicorns" Eddie responded randomly.

"That would keep me up for nights on end" Wyatt added dryly.

The group chuckled among themselves, relaxing slightly and needing something to laugh about in the face of the dreaded deal, however the weight of the heavy air around them soon rested on their shoulders, as Mike finally sighed and suggested a darker option.

"Well if you think about it, It's true what Rebecca's saying, these deals are simply an illusion. Carver's sending us out to work on the barricade in the hopes in walkers will do his dirty work. Using that, no one can directly blame him for our deaths, then we'll be out of the way and he doesn't have to worry about a rebellion" Mike summarised as he inhaled and continued "So... I think Carver's simply going to exile us all like he did with Nick and Sarah"

"That won't happen, he wants us to suffer, his toying with us" Rebecca piped up as Wyatt muttered once again "Okay, again we have a lot of captain obvious' in in this pen..."

"You know... I think it's kinda odd that out of all of us Luke's the only one who disagreed with Carver" Kenny began suspicion flaring in his now blackish eyes as he gazed at the man in his bunk.

"What are you suggesting?" Rebecca began in a defensive manner.

"Has anybody noticed how Luke seems to disagree with us on almost everything? Did you also notice how quickly he turned on Nick a while back? I mean fuck... Bonnie told me Nick and Luke have been friends for 20 years, what sort of man ditches a friend like that in a heartbeat? And he'd rather have his personal belongings burnt than make a deal with Carver? Look, this guy, whether his with or us not, clearly doesn't give a flying crap about any of us..."

Before he even finished the sentence there was a wail of protests tumbling from people's mouths as Bonnie shouted "Don't y'all accuse him of that! Luke... look... Luke always puts other people before himself. The way I see it he cares more about his friends then he does objects that mean a great deal to him. It's not suspicious, it's honourable and brave! Hell, I wish I could be like him..." Bonnie trailed off sadly.

"You may think that Bonnie, but Luke here and his friends left a little girl to sew up her own arm" Kenny snarled suddenly turning to Clementine and muttering "It's true isn't it?" he asked as Clementine caught Vince's guilty face behind Kenny.

"Hey sorry kid! I didn't think he'd get this angry over it" Vince quickly spluttered out in his defence for his gossiping to Kenny.

"I got bit by a dog, then I found these guys in a cabin and they thought I was bitten, so they locked me in a shed..."

"WHAT!?" Kenny exploded as they were gasps all around, as he angrily turned on Rebecca.

"We thought she was bitten, Nick lost his mum the last time we let a bite victim in the cabin, we couldn't take that risk again" She explained herself calmly in Kenny's growing fury.

"Oh doo-bloody dah, Nick lost his mummy! It still doesn't change the fact you-left-a-little-girl-to-die-in-a-shed!" He spat each word at her in a growing fury...

"Clementine... explain to him please! Luke here... he can't defend himself, but know that he spoke of you so highly, like you were his little sister..." Rebecca quickly ushered to Clementine who nodded and before Kenny could open his mouth further she muttered darkly "Drop it Kenny"

"Clem! These people did this to you! And you fucking expect me to just stand to the side and let them get away with this unpunished!" He roared.

"At least they didn't drop a salt lick on my head" Clementine found herself uttering before she could stop herself, guilt tore through her body seeing the hurt look on Kenny's face as everyone gazed at him in new found horror as he muttered weakly "Clem..."

"What does she mean Kenny!?" Sarita demanded of him, but he couldn't respond his mouth stood agape as he remained silent. Clementine met his gaze back before sighing.

"What I'm trying to say" she said to the group at large "Is that we've all done stupid stuff, stuff we all regret, but we can't turn on each other and blame each other now" she felt like she was lecturing the group as Kenny slumped back into his seat. Clementine had enough drama to deal with, regardless of all his business with Carver, she couldn't deal with petty squabbling among her allies. For now it seemed she could finally relax...

"Oh God here comes trouble" Wyatt muttered as he looked out of the shutter to see Carver approaching. Clementine sighed sadly once again, so much for relaxing...

He opened the shutter flanked by Tavia and Troy as he smiled at them all "Evening folks, I believe we all made a deal, so can everyone other than Luke and Rebecca follow me to the roof" he instructed with a cool smile. Clementine's mind flashed onto the greenhouse and Reggie, and Becca, she shivered as she followed the swarm of jumpsuits towards the roof. Not liking leaving Rebecca and a still knocked out Luke behind... but right now she could only hope and pray that whatever Carver had in mind wasn't soul destroying.

She didn't have a lot of hope.

Reaching the roof in the pitch black of the night Carver muttered to Troy and Tavia "Go get one" to which they walked off leaving Carver with his small pistol trained on the group as everyone remained still.

"So what the hell is this all about?" Kenny inquired his tone cautious as Carver merely smiled at him in silence. Never a good sign.

Sure enough it wasn't good news, Tavia and Troy returned a mere minute later, with a struggling man in their grip, His hands and legs were bound together, his mouth was muffled as he cried out in panic, and his head was covered by a empty sand bag, as the group stared in horror at the man Carver began to explain...

"After my speech this morning, there was something of a rebellion, we caught Peter here and 10 others trying to sneak up to my office to finish me off. Well... you'll be glad to know they were apprehended" he poisonous smile was directed at the pen dwellers, there was no doubt he was trying to draw some sort of angry response to give himself satisfaction. When nobody responded he continued on.

"So here they are... prisoners, their punishment for rebelling against me is death. They could have torn the community apart, but If I kill any more people, then others might get more upset at me. I think it's high time somebody else did the job" and with this Clementine's world seemed to fail... surely he wasn't asking...

"NO!" Bonnie screamed at him confirming Clementine's worst fear "BILL! NO! WE ARE NOT EXECUTING THESE PEOPLE!" She screamed at him firmly as he merely kept on smiling.

"I thought you'd said that and you can refuse. But if you don't not only will I shot your friend Luke who didn't agree with me, but I'll shoot Rebecca too! And if you do decide not to execute a prisoner then I'll let them run free, at the cost of your own life! he muttered grimly as Clementine's world seemed to go dizzy.

These deals, they meant nothing, Carver did truly have the power and he was using it now to torture them.

Like Rebecca said he was toying with them and playing a game.

She thought about it so if they killed a prisoner they (along with Luke and Rebecca) would live but (with no doubt) be despised by the rest of the community. As the pen dwellers were no doubt the one's that rebelled against Carver and made him miss son's birth. If anyone saw any ringleaders of the rebellion it lay within the pen dwellers, but Carver had seen that too. And was now turning them away from the rest of the community. That was option one, they could all live but lose a heck a lot of support.

Or option two was, they could all die and become martyrs. With the community no doubt honouring them and they would lead a rebellion and although Clementine and the pen dwellers would die it would be small comfort to know that they had done the honourable thing and taken Carver down with them.

Die a noble death, or live as dictators? The decision was clear, either they looked out for each other. Becoming a lone fringe group that would save themselves but didn't give a fuck about anyone else. Or side with the community and die saving rebels.

There was no easy choice.

But if Clementine wanted the group too live, she knew what she had to do.

Carver was splitting the blame, why have one dictator to take the brunt of all the hate?

When there could have been eleven?


	26. Dropping Innocence

**A/N: Thanks for the continued support from all, so I'll get to a few of your reviews!**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl: Thanks for the continuing support and all I'm glad agree on that point and as for the TV series that's only the beginning of the stupidity, don't get my started on Carl Neverinthehouse... or Lori moaningateverything grimes. ugh. Anyway I do have another discussion point.**

**Personally I feel the game is better because it kills off fan favourites such as Carley and Lee and although people wished for different I felt like these deaths were needed to create a well rounded story while developing existing characters. Whereas (say the TV show) seems afraid to kill of such characters. In fact the majority of the main characters have seemingly breezed through 4 series without losing a single limb (one guy did, but he died later on anyway) what would your opinion on this be? I'm not for slaughtering everyone but a few major deaths are needed (and that's what I felt season 1 did brilliantly, Lee died, but Clem, Christa, Omid, Molly and Kenny survived)**

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Thanks for the review! It would be dark for Clem to murder 11 people... but then again this whole story is dark and the point you made about Carver not being as powerful as he thinks by having just Clem kill the 11 was pretty clever. Anyway I'm glad you find my Kenny cool.**

**Rebloxic- Overall I'd give the episode a 6 as well. It wasn't downright awful it was just a disappointment when compared to the rest of the episodes. Rebecca's death was something I saw coming, especially seeing her stumble in the snow, Sarah's death in the trailer park was hard to watch but at least it made sense to the story, whereas her second death was the second most sloppily written death in the whole series. Of course Nick's is at number one don't even get me started on it... **

**Apathy- Thanks, I'm really making Carver despicable aren't I? Personally I hate his guts but I cannot deny his smart and a smart scheming villain is always the best. **

**Night-Chan-DragonEyes- Thanks for the review, I loving that you like Wyatt and Eddie and that the humour is coming through, it would be much a much more boring story to write without the occasional humorous comment and yep Clem wears the pants in this group! **

**and finally AquaDestinysEmbrace thank you all always!**

* * *

Of course Carver had to make them wait the rest of the night to mull over their decision.

After he showed them the lone prisoner, he told them coldly "Think about it folks, tomorrow morning you'll each get to execute one rebel in front of the rest of the community" he said it as if it were a great event they should have all be anticipating.

That is what only made Clementine's stomach swirl as she felt bile fall and rise in her throat as she twisted and turned in her excuse of a bed. Trying hard to get whatever sort of sleep she could. Her eyes were closed but she couldn't have been more awake that night as she mulled over what Carver was forcing them to do.

She had never (directly and with intent) killed anyone innocent before. The bandit in the woods and The stranger were bad people, Clementine felt no guilt at their deaths, as she had to keep moving forward... but she had gotten Lee killed as well as Omid. They were innocent people and people she had grown very close too. Their deaths and her self loathing of herself after these deaths kept her awake at night for months afterwards. She'd used to cry herself to sleep on some gloomy nights...

But for now she was surrounded by friends. She wasn't alone. This was one thought that made her ensure that she would do it. That she would indeed execute an innocent man or woman to ensure that her group of friends remained safe. Still Clementine wondered how she would kill those prisoners? Firing squad? It seemed most likely but she could pull the trigger, if she could pull the trigger on Lee then she could pull the trigger on anyone.

She knew she wasn't alone as she lay awake, everyone else was breathing deeply and the pen was in silence but Clementine noticed that no was snoring (other than Luke who was still out of it) Kenny was the one who told a waiting Rebecca on what the deal was as well as it's consequences. She didn't gasp in surprise upon learning what they were forced to do. Instead she simply glared at her blanket.

"That sick bastard, that sick, sick bastard" was all she muttered her body shaking in rage.

She didn't say much after that other than encourage the others that "They had to do it, all we'll all die" but her words of encouragement meant nothing, she could offer her sympathies but she wouldn't be the one killing those people that morning. Clementine knew that right now she would be able to handle it better than other people. Clementine wondered how everyone would take it.

The night seemed to pass far too quickly, Clementine didn't know whether she actually managed to catch sleep or night, all she knew is that she heard someone grunt and rise off their bed, then... two people were conversing in low quiet tones that barely reached Clementine's eardrums. This conversing was followed by a weirder sound, getting up herself and rubbing her baggy eyes she proceeded to walk over the source of the noise.

Kenny and Sarita were crouched behind his bunk. No doubt trying to avoid prying eyes as they were wrapped around each other, kissing each other deeply as Kenny's arm worked their way downwards before his open eye trailed upwards to find Clementine gazing at them in an embarrassed manner.

"Clementine!" He yelled, as he and Sarita sprung apart both crimson at the cheeks as they looked back at her "It's... we were just..." Kenny began awkwardly as Clementine couldn't help but smile. No doubt they'd barely gotten a minute alone together and he could hardly blame them with what they were about to face. No doubt it was just a kiss as they weren't peeling each other's clothes on or off. Considering that she felt bad about interrupting them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too..." she apologised as Kenny shook his head "Nah, it's all right Clem, me and Sarita were just discussing the past" he said as Clementine's salt lick comment rose back in her mind as she (again) felt terrible.

"About the salt lick Kenny, I shouldn't have..." she began.

"No, it okay I've cleared the air with Sarita, I've been telling her a bit about what went on in our old group" He informed Clementine as Sarita sighed.

"I almost envy you, you went through a lot of bad things, but at least you're prepared for what is coming..." she then choked back a sob "Kenny... I can't" she gasped as Kenny pulled her closer to him.

"You-have-too-Sarita" Kenny told her slowly and gently as she shook with sobs.

"Back when this all started" Sarita began, speaking to the floor rather than either Kenny or Clementine as she stared at it, her eyes reflective "I watched my family die around me and then for the next year I survived by wondering alone. I don't know how... I just stayed far away from people and groups in general. I never had to make hard decisions... and then I met you" she said looking up at Kenny with bright eyes.

"How long did it take for you two...?" Clementine began to ask.

"It must have been about six months, Kenny here was so stubborn and so hard to get to know that at first we simply agreed to watch it other's backs. I'd avoided groups but yet... despite your foot long beard and capability to snap at me every couple of seconds. I... knew there was something about you that was good" she smiled up at him, as he beamed back. Clementine felt like she was rearing her ugly head into a very romantic moment between the pair of them. She didn't intervene as Sarita continued...

"We been through a whole year together and you've protected me so much Kenny... I know I have too...but this is not going to be easy for me" she said sadly as Kenny wrapped his large palm around Sarita's smaller one and gave a comforting squeeze "I'll be here Sarita" was all he said which seemed to fill her with confidence...

And then the moment was gone as others started stretching and waking, Clementine left Sarita and Kenny as she went to go talk to Wyatt and Eddie (she liked these two dorks) yet as she walked towards them she couldn't help but wonder about her old drawing of Kenny's family. From what Clementine had seen he didn't have a picture to remember them by, she wondered if her drawing was still in her trouser pocket. However considering it wasn't with Carver she figured it must have fallen out long ago. Either in the river or in the forest...

"...if he makes us pull their guts out I swear I'll pull his guts out at the chance I get..."

"Dude you're being a fucking Idiot, he'll make us shoot them" Wyatt told a wide eyed Eddie in a bored tone, as Clementine fell into Wyatt's shadow Eddie waved at her "Oh hey Clem" he boomed cheerfully as Wyatt turned to face her.

"Were just discussing how Bill's gonna make us kill these guys" Wyatt informed her.

"Firing squad I'm betting" Clementine responded.

"Told you so" Wyatt teased a angry faced Eddie.

"Yeah, but think about it Bill always makes thing more fucked up than they already are, so I doubt his just going to a simple pull of a trigger" Eddie theorized to them, Clementine hoped that he was wrong about this, but something told her that Eddie may have actually had a point.

"Dude your sprouting bullshit again" Wyatt began in a pained prolonging of the last words, yet Eddie turned to him determined.

"I bet you it's something different! I bet Clem's hat on it!" Eddie challenged.

"Why my hat?"

"Because your hat's awesome and I want it" Eddie said seriously.

"Fine, if it's a firing squad then Clem gets to keep her cap, if not you get to wear it for a day" Wyatt said setting the terms for the deal in which they shook on. Clementine was fine with Eddie only being able to wear her cap for a day... besides she trusted him as... stupid as he could be and in many ways he reminded her of Omid...

Omid...

"I can't believe y'all making a game outta this" Bonnie said lightly walking off as Wyatt shrugged his shoulders.

"Well there's not much else you can do. Other than linger on what we have to do which would drive me insane" Wyatt informed her as she laughed lightly, but this laugh was cut short as the shutter clanked open and in the background Clementine heard Carver's gravelly tone through the PA system "Everyone! Proceed towards the expansion immediately!" he ordered of his community members as they slowly did so.

Troy and Tavia followed by the rat faced Stan with his nasally voice and habit of glaring at people. The three of them trained their rifles on the group as they all stood up slowly as Stan barked "Well come on then! Get to the roof! The lot of ya!"

"His Troy 2.0" Clementine thought as she trailed next to Bonnie at the rear of the group as they set off towards their dreaded destination, as they did Clementine wanted to break the uncomfortable silence that lingered over the group as she turned to a troubled looking Bonnie.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked the redhead who shook her head.

"I killed someone innocent before... it was an accident but..." she began as Clementine's eyes widened at this new information she was receiving, seeing her look of shock Bonnie sighed and muttered "I was... well... in a spot of bother before all this... this elderly couple found me and saved me. Then... one time the wife found some supplies, she took them from a group. They chased us down and we got separated... in the dark and the panic someone came up to me, I struck them with a bar and killed them... only then I realised it was the wife herself. She... hated me and in her last words she still hated me..." Bonnie inhaled deeply as she rubbed her eyes.

"But I lived through that Clem and I know I can live through this. I'm just worried about Stephanie" She said gazing at the younger woman as Clementine's head whipped around to her where she was gazing silently at the floor.

"Sarita has Kenny, Vince... y'all know Vince killed someone before all this?" She asked.

"He told me he did something" Clementine said hardly disturbed by this news, so what if Vince was a murderer? So was Lee, in fact so was nearly everybody now.

"Anyhow I know Vince will be okay, Shel's tougher than she looks, so she'll be okay. Nothing seems to get Wyatt and Eddie down and you and Kenny are as tough as nails so y'all be fine and Jane and Mike are macho... but Stephanie... she's just a girl. Heck 19 or 20... she hasn't said a word since yesterday I'm worried about her" Bonnie told Clementine gently as they ascended the steps as Clementine peered forward at the young raven haired woman.

"She'll be okay, she has to be she was willing to get the meds for the group so she'll do this" Clementine assured Bonnie.

"I know she will, I'm just worried about the damage it will do to her" Bonnie muttered as the roof door was kicked open, and Tavia rounded them to the side. To Clementine's horror she saw 11 unmasked prisoners who were struggling with their mouths still bound and their feet and hands restrained. Clementine could see they were placed in a line at the edge of the roof with nooses around their necks... Carver was pacing up and down as he addressed the community who were gathered below him.

"... IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! REBELS! TODAY YOU WILL SEE THEM JOIN THEIR COMRADE!" It was only then than Clementine realised that Anna (the woman who committed suicide) was still at the end of her noose, yet of now she had turned as her walker snarled from where she was hung against the wall.

"...HOPEFULLY THE 12 THAT HANG FROM THESE WALLS SET AN EXAMPLE TO WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DON'T FOLLOW THE RIGHT PATH...!" Carver was bellowing across the morning air to the rest of the community, Clementine couldn't see their expressions from here but no one was speaking up.

"OUR INMATES IN THE PEN VALUED THEIR PROPERTY OVER YOUR FRIENDS LIVES! BECAUSE THEY KNOW YOUR FRIENDS WERE SCUM! YOU WON'T CLASS THESE FOLK "FRIENDS" ANYMORE! THEY ARE A DISGRACE AND FOR ANY OF YOU STILL BELIEVING THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE PEN ARE CAPABLE OF STARTING A REBELLION THEY ARE GOING TO PROVE TODAY WHY THEY ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH! BY DOING THEIR JOBS AND PROVING THEY ARE HERE TO KEEP THIS COMMUNITY INTACT!" A red faced Carver then whipped around to pen dwellers.

"Mike, you first!" He ordered as the muscled man walked forward and looked at the man in front of him at the start of the row of 11.

"Just kick him off, it's easy" Carver told him as (a last cruel twist) Troy ripped the tape from the man's mouth in front of Mike so he could yell in fear "OH GOD! PLEASE NO...!" He was screaming as Carver shouted "PETER! REBEL! YOUR SENTENCE IS DEATH!" He ordered as Mike looked forward his teeth clenching, and then closing his eyes, he kicked the man in back. The screaming man fell from Clementine line of vision, yet he still screamed that was until there was a crack and a few gasps from below...

"JANE YOU'RE NEXT!" Carver ordered as Mike returned to the group rather pale, as Sarita muttered "Oh God..."

Jane glared at a younger woman (who when tape from her mouth was removed,screamed hysterically blocking out Carver's shouts of "JILL! REBEL! YOUR SENTENCE IS DEATH!") Carver barely finished the sentence before Jane coldly and almost instantly kicked the screaming woman from the roof, her screams died with a sickening crack. Jane was already returning to the group, no regret on her face. "It had to be done" she told the group who were looking at her in shock. Because even to Clementine that was cold...

It went on... and on... Kenny was next who shoved a young man who remained silent right to very end to his death, he returned to the group rubbing his forehead. Bonnie was next, she also had a silent elder man who refused to scream in his final moments, Bonnie was apprehensive and with a look of regret shining on her face she kicked him down to his death, the crack of his neck made her flinch...

Eddie and Wyatt followed, Eddie had a hard faced woman who also didn't scream which made it easier for him. But Wyatt had an older woman who pleaded for Mercy "DEAR GOD! PLEASE NO! SPARE ME!" She squealed to a sweating Wyatt who muttered "I'm sorry but..." her screams cut off his sentence as she thrashed wildly in panic. Wyatt himself clenched his eyes shut and pushed her too her death, "Dear God... fuck..." he muttered tearing up as he returned to the group.

Vince was next who quickly killed the man who bellowed at him for Mercy, yet Vince looked regretful. Shel was next and dealt with a whimpering younger man who she managed to kill with a straight face, she returned to the group glaring coldly at Carver. With this done the only three that remained to kill their prisoners were Stephanie, Clementine and Sarita.

"Stephanie!" Carver roared as she younger woman inhaled deeply and approached the squealing teenager who she had to execute, Clementine watched Stephanie closely, as she remained a calm composure, closing her eyes she kicked the young woman to her death. The crack made her flinch as she closed her eyes and started breathing in deeply as she re-reached the group, Shel held her, trying to comfort her.

"CLEMENTINE!" Carver yelled as she was pulled out of her stupor, he gut twisting she proceeded towards the edge of the roof with a sense of vertigo she looked down to see the hard faces of many glaring up at her. Yet their silence was more unnerving as Troy ripped the tape from the man's mouth in front of her.

"JACKSON! REBEL! YOUR SENTENCE IS DEATH!" Carver roared as Clementine saw the man's face, he was a middle aged black man who was breathing deeply, yet too her relief he wasn't screaming. However he was mumbling under his breath the names of people he loved who were no doubt long gone. His eyes were closed so Clementine didn't have to gaze into them as she killed him. Without wasting any more time she lifted her leg... and kicked...

The man tumbled over the edge and dreaded crack made her shiver somewhat as he lifeless form hung from the rope. Clementine inhaled, it was over. She had done it. It was scary somewhat but she had managed it. She turned back towards the group maintaining a straight face, seeing them all alive was the only thing that kept the heavy feeling in her gut from growing to heavy for her to handle as she thought about the man... Jackson... that she had killed today.

"AND FINALLY SARITA!" Carver shouted as Sarita walked towards a young woman nervously as soon as Troy removed the bonds she screamed to the high heavens above.

"NO! PLEASE NO! SPARE ME! PLEASSSSE!" She squealed to Sarita who visibly stumbled back a few steps, placing a hand over her mouth as the tears slowly fell from her eyes.

Carver finished his sentence as he looked at a hesitant Sarita, she turned to Kenny with a sad look on her face "I can't Kenny" she sobbed.

"SARITA! PLEASE!" He begged of her, as the scene grew more intense as Carver trained his gun on the Indian woman "You have 5 seconds or else missy" He growled at her as the woman continued to scream for mercy. Clementine couldn't breathe, Sarita wasn't moving... Carver was going to kill her...

And then with a scream Sarita charged forward and kicked the woman in the back as she tumbled over the edge, the horrid crack is what made Sarita dissolve into tears on the floor as Kenny rushed to her side almost instantly muttering "It's alright, It's alright" he said holding her in his arms as she wept her heart out onto his chest.

"YOU SEE!? THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO REBELS...!" Carver was stating, but Clementine wasn't listening instead she felt her cap get lifted from her head as she looked up to see Eddie wearing it with a devilish grin on his face. Even after all of this, Eddie could still interject some sense of humour into the situation that she so desperately needed. Other than him however everyone else was in tears, on the verge of tears, muttering to themselves, trying to calm themselves or remained a mastered pokerface... this had been tough indeed.

When Carver finished his speech and the group disbanded, and Clementine and the others were sent back to work, now she was no doubt despised by the community.

But her friends were still alive. That's what would keep her going. And keep her planning. It wasn't over.

* * *

Nick didn't like sleeping out in the open, but as of today they were completely lost and had no where else to camp. Laying down he spent half the evening trying to teach Sarah to climb a tree, he eventually lifted her to a low hanging branch as he slept next to her, being up high would offer them some shelter from walkers. Yet to their surprise no walkers came, not even bandits who Nick was expecting too come across. No the wood around them remained silent.

Unbeknownst to them, while Clementine and co were executing prisoners they were helping themselves to a silent breakfast of more beans.

"How'd you sleep?" Sarah asked of Nick that morning.

"Surprisingly well, considering we slept in a tree" Nick grunted, which was true for once he hadn't been haunted with nightmares about Pete, or Carlos or whoever... he had (in this quiet wood) slept soundly.

"I did too. Let's hope we can get somewhere comfortable soon because I got lot loads of leaves into my hair" she muttered absently mindedly rubbing a few chunks of brownish leaves from her knotty hair. Watching her Nick couldn't help but smile, she had a likeable aura about her.

They proceeded forward silently wary of walkers and bandits as they walked through the golden morning, as the sounds of wildlife pressed against their eardrums.

"Do you reckon the others are okay?" Sarah asked in the middle of the silence.

"Yeah, I reckon their fine, If we are, they have to be" Nick reassured her, they were fine no doubt, Nick knew it, he could imagine them slaving away for Carver right now but they were pulling through no doubt.

Oh if only he knew how wrong he was.

As they proceeded forwards they finally came across a clearing, stepping ahead Nick could see a trailer park.

"C'mon we might find something in there" he told Sarah who trailed after him faithfully.

Onwards they travelled.


	27. Sarah In Action

**A/N: Okay so thank you all for continuing to read and support this story!**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for the review and as a matter of fact I do have a fairly simple topic to discuss. How old do you think each character is? I'll give my predictions as we know Clementine is 11 and Sarah is 15, but I'll give my predictions on the rest (these ages will also crop up in the story itself) **

**Vince, 31. Wyatt, 23. Eddie, 22. Russell, 20. Bonnie, 27. Shel, 24. Stephanie, 20. Kenny, 43. Sarita, 38. Luke, 23. Nick, 21. Rebecca, 36. Jane, 21. Mike, 29. Carver, 43. Troy, 30. Tavia, 39. Well those are my predictions, let me know your own.**

**bigblackduck- There are grammar problems however when Nick said "I've known that man for 20 years" to me it may as well have been "I've known that man my whole life". I do believe Nick is actually this young for a number of reasons as he is referred to as "kid" by even Luke. I imagine Luke is slightly older than Nick who probably sees Luke as this big brother figure. Also Nick was with his mother and uncle when the apocalypse started. So I could imagine him as a sulky teen with his paternal figures when it started and as two years have passed his now in his very early 20's. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks for the review! and I'm really enjoying your story so far!**

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Liking your reviews! I'm glad you pointed that the community wouldn't be stupid enough to fully despise the pen group after seeing a few of them break down over it. Hearing your reviews always help me think about how other people perceive Clementine's (and the pen group's) actions. So keep reviewing! **

**apathy- I liked that you pointed out Russell who I've been leaving absent deliberately up to this point, where he will play his part. Rest assured Clementine and her group still have a long way to proceed in planning and scheming against Carver. **

**and finally Rebloxic... thanks as always! So I'll get back to business... **

* * *

"Are they any walkers nearby?" Sarah asked Nick timidly as they stepped out into open plain that surrounded the high fences of the trailer park, peering ahead Nick could not make out any stumbling walkers. He shook his breath and (both taking deep breaths) they lunged out into the open and crept up to the trailer park, looking above Nick could see that the trailer park was indeed "Parker's run"

"Parker's run... we passed here the last time we escaped" Nick told Sarah who nodded her head as memories of their first escape came flooding back to them "But we only passed it, we didn't go inside. Maybe they'll be supplies for us inside" Sarah informed him optimistically as she peered past the meshed silver wire into the trailer park.

"Let's hope there are_ just_ supplies in there waiting for us" Nick added as he tried to get a grip with his thin fingers as he attempted to hoist himself up the fence. To his dismay he merely tumbled down and landed shakily on his feet.

"Were not getting over this, we'll have to find a way around" He told Sarah who nodded as Nick pulled his glass shard from where it lay in the man's (well _his_) backpack, Sarah also shakily pulled her pistol from her pocket...

"Use your knife for now, only use the gun if you absolutely have too, we don't want to attract more walkers" He instructed her as she replaced her gun with her small knife. As small as it was it was in good condition and had a very sharp blade. Even with Sarah's limited strength she would be able to easily impale something or _somebody_ with it.

"Let's go" Nick said as he looked ahead for an opening in the fence, Sarah remained close to him, remaining aligned to the tall man's shadow as they walked on. As (through her blurry vision) she kept a nervous hand on the fence to keep her balance as she squinted to try and make out the green blots that made up the treeline to the forest. Thankfully she saw nothing move, or nothing of an different colouring to the forest emerge from it. So they were alone... for now...

Rounding a corner Nick's eyes found a welcome site.

"Hallelujah, an opening!" he exclaimed to the sky as the ripped fence bent and buckled, leaving one small opening ahead of the pair , he approached it and ducked down "Ladies first" he told Sarah who had to also bend down, to slowly pass through the small opening. Placing the bag of meds through first she followed suite before turning back to Nick who was already through the opening and was about to stand up...

When he felt something tug him back.

Surprised he fell back with an "Oof!" as he found that the bandages around his shoulder had caught on the twisted wire in the opening, with a muffled "Oh for fuck sake's..." he tugged on his shoulder to find that his bandage remained wrapped around the fence... well he was stuck like a fly... and to make matters worse his rifle had also fallen from his grip and was out of reach...

He turned to Sarah, who wasn't looking at him, she was gazing ahead in horror and Nick knew why, because the familiar groans of the walkers met his ears, turning around he barely suppressed a scream as three walkers were nearly upon him as Sarah backed away from the scene in panic as Nick tugged desperately at his shoulder and tried repeatedly to rip himself free, but no avail... by this point the walkers were closing in as Nick's heart hammered in chest.

"Sarah do something!" He begged of her as he tried in vain to pry himself free, but it was no use... the walkers were almost upon him. Seeing this Sarah couldn't utter a single syllable, she couldn't scream in fear for his life. Instead she felt her world spin as she didn't see Nick on that fence about to be devoured, she saw her father...

And she was here again. Standing there watching as he helplessly got devoured. And she did nothing.

Nothing.

Her father was dead because of her, she had a hammer in her hand, why hand't she used it?

She had weapons, why wasn't she using them?

"SARAH!" Nick now screamed causing her to jolt back into the present as the nearest walker was feet away from Nick's neck. Sarah knew what would happen to him. He would just be another person she had killed... because she was frozen...

No, no more. No!

Diving into her pocket as white hot fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins her hands rested around the hilt of her pistol, zipping it from her pocket she didn't have time to remember all of Clementine's instructions, expect for one. Which was to aim down the muzzle of the gun as through her vision she aimed (with a half clenched eye) at the walker's head.

"She fucked up..." Carver's taunting voice rang through her head.

"No... not this time" she thought as she took a deep breath.

"You broke our promise, you promised me you'd come back" Came Clementine's misty voice as Sarah gripped the gun harder.

"No... I will come back!"

"You never got to listen to the rest of my story" came Clementine's sad tone ripping through her skull.

"No! I will!"

"Nick will die because of you!"

"NO!"

"YOU ARE BOTH GOING TO DIE!"

"NOOOOO!" Sarah defining thought became a scream, as she pulled down on the trigger, as the surprisingly loud BANG! Made her eardrums tingle in pain yet she heard the sound of the bullet tearing through flesh, without stopping (and in a panicked state) she pulled down on the trigger... again and again... and again... aiming blindly towards the approaching walkers as each BANG made her ears hurt even more. Yet she couldn't stop... as panic overtook her body.

Aim... and shoot! Aim... and shoot! Was the only thought that ran through her mind, as she fired too quickly. However when the moans were silenced she refrained from firing another bullet as she glanced ahead to see three walkers lying on the floor. As Nick store at her in awe, out of the five bullets she had fired, two had penetrated the skulls of the approaching walkers. One had nestled itself in a walker's knee sending it to the floor. While the other two had left to bullet holes in the trailer behind them.

Sarah blinked as Nick took advantage of the situation, he lifted his large foot to crush the skull of the crawling walker that still approached him, feeling it's skull crack and the blood ooze out of the walker's head Nick (once again) tried to push himself free of the gate. (Of course now that the danger had passed) is when he finally (with a loud rip) came free.

Panting he stared down at the corpses in front of him, Lifting the bin bag of meds from the mangled bodies he turned to glance sideways at a shocked looking Sarah who dropped the gun to the ground beside her as she began to sob quietly.

She didn't say anything as Nick approached her, even when he nudged her leg and muttered "Sarah..." she didn't respond. Slightly worried Nick prepared to say something else too her (as he picked up his own rifle from the ground)... before she spoke up herself.

"I... It reminded me of what happened to dad" she sobbed as Nick bent down slightly to meet her at eye level "Me too kid, but you did well. Although we'll have to work on your aim in future" he joked but Sarah remained sobbing, as she wiped her eyes and murmured "I didn't like using that gun... it was really loud"

"I know... but you did it, You killed some moving walkers, Your dad would be proud" he told her as she look up at him with watery globes as she sniffed and tried to hold back her tears "It was... s-scary... I d-didn't think a-about it I just..." she blubbered.

"You did what you had too and it worked. Just stay calmer next time and try not to waste as many bullets" he informed her as she wiped away the last of her tears. As Nick beamed down at her "Look, you saved my life, so stop crying... that's a good thing!" he encouraged her patting her shoulder as her tears ceased and she managed to cast Nick back a shy smile that showcased a growing confidence.

To Sarah it happened so fast. One minute they were checking a fence in silence with no walkers around and the next she was shooting them at point blank range as three descended on Nick. How they had gotten themselves in such mortal peril in such a short space of time and in such an unexpected way she would never know.

But this was the world now. Things didn't occur the way she liked, in this cold, cruel world deaths and dangers came too fast. Reggie, Becca, her father... and just then it was nearly Nick. Usually she had trouble processing these things, but now she was beginning to understand that she had to think fast and act fast if she wanted to save her friends and herself...

And as for Nick... well he was relived to be alive and even more relived that Sarah had finally proven her worth. She was a poor shooter sure, but that was her first time shooting and she had saved his life. She wasn't an ally he could trust with everything but the rust that developed on her survival skills was slowly fading... the gears were turning in Sarah's head.

She was beginning to function in this world.

"You've still got one bullet, so use it _very_ wisely" Nick told her handing her deadly silver pistol back to her, as Sarah pocketed it quietly, yet they barely gotten a second of breathing time before a series of groans caught Nick's attention, he looked up to find a herd of walkers stumbling towards them. No doubt they had heard Sarah's gunshots...

"Shit!" Nick bellowed, as Sarah once again found herself panicking at the sheer number of walkers descending upon them. They had no guts to shield themselves with this time as the previous layer had come off due to the snow and rain they had walked through and there was no time to smear themselves with that gunk again, there was only one option left for them.

"RUN!" Nick yelled the obvious as Sarah followed suite, getting her knife at the ready knowing that one bullet was only going to serve no good what-so-ever. (and only draw more walkers towards them) instead she pulled out her knife as she ran after Nick twisting and turning through the narrow corridors between the trailers...

It was no good, the moaning was all around them. Sooner they both knew they'd be cornered in this tight space. Looking up Nick saw the easy option out of this mess.

"Here! Go up!" Nick shouted to Sarah as he used his hands to lift her off the ground and the roof of one the trailers, she scurried up as Nick lifted the heavy bags of meds to her. She tugged it up and looked down at Nick extending a hand "Come on!" she squealed as Nick as the walkers began to close in on both sides.

He gripped her hand and tugged himself up, Sarah felt her whole body tense as his weight was too much for her too handle, however using his leg strength Nick propelled himself upwards and used his own arms to push himself to the roof of the trailer. Once again they had barely gotten their breath when (yet again) a new threat emerged.

"I HEARD GUNSHOTS FROM OVER HERE!" Came a gruff voice from nearby as several other malice filled voices answered to him as more gunfire rang through the air.

"They aren't the Russians! Fuck! How many mother-fucking bandits are there in this forest!" Nick exclaimed in rage, yet by the sounds these bandits made sent Nick's hair on the back of his neck on end. They clearly weren't looking to recruit new members, they were looking for people to rob and kill no doubt.

"What do we do!? They have guns and they'll see us up here!" Sarah babbled gazing wildly around her as she looked in the direction of the bandits voices. Nick saw the answer on the trailer a few feet away.

"OVER HERE!" He yelled hastily as Sarah followed him, jumping over the small space between the trailer was no problem for either of them (even with the meds weighing them down) they both landed safely on the next trailer as Nick approached the closed skylight on the roof, he tried stomping on it to make the glass crack yet this had no effect.

"Fuck... fuck... fuck...!" he was muttering as he turned back behind him to see walkers near the opening he had gotten stuck on getting shot down by unseen bandits who getting closer every second...

BANG!

Alarmed, he turned around to see Sarah had used her last bullet on the closed skylight, the single bullet had broken the glass and with a final kick the glass cracked and shattered, leaving an opening in the top of the trailer, thankfully the gunfire of the unseen bandits attracted the walkers attention more than the single shot from Sarah.

There was no time, Sarah ducked through the available hole in the roof and into the darkness below, Nick turned to see the first bandit emerge through the opening, he didn't waste a single second. He fell through the hole after Sarah, praying the bandits hadn't heard the gunshot or even managed to glance at him for a second. All he knew was that he was now in a dust covered trailer that had clearly been abandoned for some time.

"Get down" Nick hissed to Sarah as they did, Nick peered through the gloomy trailer, there was a simple double bed, a small bathroom and a kitchen area. A few supplies may been lurking in the drawers by the bed and the cabinets in the kitchen area, but other than that the place looked bare. Although Nick was relived to see the door to the trailer had been barricaded a long time ago with a few wooden planks...

Yet he and Sarah crouched down low by the windows as they heard the bandits stomp past outside, shouting crude phrases at each other as the pair tensed up in their hiding place.

"... I heard it around here!" One of them was yelling.

"There's nobody around! So can it asshole!" Came the snarl of a woman.

"She's right Steve, there's nobody around, whoever it was must have done a runner" came another male voice.

The man labelled "Steve" cursed in response before they wondered off, Nick stared up nervously at the open skylight, they had wondered off but these bandits weren't gone, no doubt they were lingering nearby...

"They want to hurt us don't they?" Sarah inquired of a still heavily breathing Nick who nodded.

"Yeah, so we've got to stay quiet" he lectured to her as she nodded. She wasn't that stupid she knew not to scream when a group of evil people were nearby. She may have toughened up but she still wanted to avoid conflict wherever possible.

"Nice thinking back there, that's the second time you saved our asses today" Nick complimented Sarah as she gave another shy smile.

"Well you did tell me to use it _very_ wisely" she told him as she sat back, despite the position they were she couldn't help but get a big headed at all she had done today. She may have messed up in the past... but today for once she had stopped talking... she had stopped crying and actually _done_ something. In the past she was afraid of doing things in case she got someone hurt, but now she realised it was better to do something, then do nothing at all.

With these thoughts in mind, Sarah remained beaming into nothingness as she imagined herself as superman... saving everyone... however these giddy thoughts soon died out as she gazed around the dark trailer around her, and at a silent Nick.

"So... now what?" she asked uncertainly, she had grown to trust Nick, as the capable grown up who knew what to do next.

"I dunno... we wait for them to clear out and get ourselves back to the others. Hell, look around and see if you can find anything" Nick told her glad of something to do. Sarah began to comb through the supposedly empty trailer...

They were trapped, but their morale was high.

That was more than what could be said for Clementine and the others back at Howard's Hardware, as the day flew by...


	28. What are you hiding?

**A/N: Right, thanks for all the continued support, by chapter 30 I'm closing the poll, so if you haven't voted, feel free to do so. As I have a plan in mind on how this will affect the story. **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- I'm glad you like what I'm doing with Sarah, I'm also glad you brought up Chuck's wise words of advice (if only Clem had spoken to him more) because although Lee protected Clementine it was Chuck who really saved her by giving Lee advice. I do have another topic to discuss and again it's a bit random (I'm running out of ideas) but... which shipping's on this site do you support? I'm open to any suggestions (other than Cluke, as I hate that pairing) **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Yep, I'm enjoying your story so far and thanks for the review! I thought it was high time for Sarah to finally kill a moving walker, as this was the next stage in her character development, she learnt about walkers, adapted slowly to the world and now she has to start taking action. A slow but steady process. **

**Rebloxic- Thanks for the review and I'm chuffed Sarah's getting a lot of love in this story. And as for the Wellington question... I could imagine them stumbling into Wellington like Joel and Ellie stumbled upon that intact community at the end of The Last Of Us, but another half of me tells me Wellington's a fantasy or has already been overrun. I can't be sure at the moment... **

**apathy- thanks! I agree with you on Nick and Sarah.**

**Night-Chan-DragonEyes- I'm glad I'm turning Eddie into the moral support, everyone in that pen needs a laugh and as for the new bandits... well you'll get the gist of who they are soon. **

**Mizukikitty123- I'll try, a lot of different story lines can be confusing but can also keep the story interesting and action packed (Game of Thrones does this masterfully) anyway thanks for reviewing! **

**FunFX2012- I'm glad you noticed that, maybe and maybe not...**

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- You're bandits r us comment made me laugh... still thanks for the reviews! And yeah I could PM you with the ideas I have planned (however they'll be a ton of spoilers involved so be warned) **

* * *

It wasn't a good day.

Clementine was lugged from one work station to the next and what was worse is that she had Troy and Tavia breathing down her neck the whole time, whether she was filling magazines or working on the expansion, she had the misfortune of having those two tailing her around all day. She only got to work with a silent Vince for a short while on the expansion but that was it. Other than that she was alone... the 12 walkers hanging from the roof were a sight she had to grow accustomed to as she passed them back and forth.

Trying hard not to look at the man (Jackson) that she had killed.

Other than a mute Vince, she didn't catch a glance of her other friends, this... (being surrounded by the hostile faces of many in the community who whispered harsh words when she passed) made it a miserable day. Never had she been more pleased to when "Supper" was announced that evening and she walked calmly back to the pen (tempted to run) never had the closing clank of the shutter been more welcoming.

Her friends were finishing off the last scarps of stale bread and beans that Carver had supplied them with, she approached to see that Mike had saved her a can of beans as he handed it too her "Here Kid, rough day huh?" he asked of her as she seated herself in the garden seat.

"It was crappy" she replied plopping the beans into her mouth she savoured the taste, forgetting the last time she had eaten. All she knew was that she felt better in here, she was being fed, there was water, there was a toilet (a basic pot in the corner which stank, but then again so did everything these days) they had running water... and most importantly they had each other.

Kenny was leading today's discussion as always, "What's going on today?" she asked of Mike.

"Vince says there's still a guy in the community he knows who can help us" Mike replied as he leaned in too listen, looking around Clementine noticed that Sarita was sound asleep in her bunk. No doubt still disturbed over what had happened today and Luke was no where to be seen...

"Boo!" Came a gasp behind Clementine's ear that made her jump, surprised she turned to find Luke himself crouched by her chair and grinning at her. For a moment she gazed upon his battered face, yet despite this he was still smiling...

"You scared me!" she told him matter of factly, however that didn't stop her from getting up from her chair and hugging him, as he returned it "Why didn't you make the deal Luke..." she moaned to him as they broke apart and she found herself drawn to his face once again.

"Don't worry about me, I didn't lose much" by the way his eyes averted to the floor and the frown that spread across his face, Clementine knew that it was a blatant lie.

"Did you know what Carver had planned?" she inquired.

"No... but... I just couldn't agree to it. From what Rebecca told me I'm glad I'm didn't... I can't kill innocent people" He told her, his eyes wide as he gazed downwards once again. There was a sadness behind Luke's words that he covered well with his thin smile, but by this point Clementine could see past that façade.

"I feel bad as we all made the deal... it was brave of you not too" she praised him as he shrugged her off.

"It was nothing, what's done is done" he informed her as they both turned back to the main discussion.

"... he will help us. I know Russell's a good guy" Vince was trying to hammer this fact into Kenny's thick skull. But the hot headed man would have none of it.

"If he wanted to help us, he would have done something by now and we can't put all our hope into one little punk" Kenny argued back to him.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Vince snapped.

"We grab weapons... and we start a full on revolution and shoot those assholes and take this place for our own!" Kenny theorized as he faced a wall of opposition.

"The problem with that plan is, we don't have the support of anybody. So even if we took over, the others in the community would kill us too" Rebecca snapped.

"Well I'm tryin' to think of something! All y'all doing is complaining, so unless you have a better idea you can shut up!" Kenny raged.

"I do have a plan we stuck with Russell, we try to get the community back on our side and then we take over! It's simple!" Rebecca stressed.

"The community are hissing at us like rattlesnakes, I don't think there going to forgive us, we might have to take them down too" Kenny suggested darkly as he once again met a wall of opposing opinions.

"The community can't stay mad at us forever, I mean Sarita broke down and Luke's refused to do it. They must know were not doing this for shits and giggles" Vince added as a few others nodded at his words.

"If y'all just want to sit around and wait, Carver will place another spanner in the damn works! We have to act NOW!" Kenny bellowed.

"No, we trust Russell and we work to get the community back on our side" Luke argued back as Kenny's eyes narrowed to silts.

"Look here _mother Teresa_ just because you didn't kill those people, doesn't mean you made the right choice" Kenny snarled, never in her life had Clementine seen somebody go from ordinary shade of peach to a beet red shade of anger in a quicker time than Luke did in those few seconds. He shook in rage and muttered the next words in fury...

"You... think I made the wrong choice?" He gave a forced laugh at this point which sent the hairs on Clementine's neck on end "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT CARVER BURNED! THE SACRIFICE I MADE JUST SO SOME PEOPLE WOULD SEE ME AS GOOD GUY!? IF YOU THINK I MADE THE WRONG CHOICE THEN I'M FUCKING DONE WITH ALL THIS SHIT!" Luke exploded, his voice so loud and raw that Clementine felt like her ears were bleeding, as Luke stood up and angrily stomped towards the bunks.

"Luke, where are you going?" Bonnie asked cautiously.

"BED!" Luke bellowed back, the group watched as he punched the wall in rage, he breathed deeply for a few seconds, before he silently lay himself on his bunk curling up slightly in a defensive position.

Bonnie turned on Kenny.

"What on earth did you go and say that for!?" She demanded of him as Kenny shrugged his shoulders.

"It's the truth, Luke needs to learn that sometimes... killing people is what is needed for the greater good. He can't go on being a saint, it will get himself or us killed!" Kenny exclaimed to a disgusted Bonnie.

"He just has morales! Unlike so many others! Why is that a bad thing!?" Bonnie raged, her face turning as red as her hair.

"Because... let's say if someone needs shooting who deserves it... but Luke can't do it because of his _morales_, that's when there's a problem" Kenny explained.

"Everyone seems so stingy tonight" Wyatt commented from his corner, looking at him Clementine also saw Eddie proudly wearing her cap, their gazes met as Eddie's face fell, Clementine smiled and gestured at him to hand over the cap.

As Eddie stood up (and with a look of regret) handed Clementine her cap back Kenny answered Wyatt's comment "How can you not be stingy! After what that fucker made us do! After the state Sarita was in..." Kenny explained before trailing off and glancing softly at her sleeping form, he regained himself as Rebecca told the group "Well she was in a state..."

"We all need to try and stay calm and trust this Russell guy, we can't do anything drastic" Clementine spoke out as Rebecca nodded "Thank you Clem, you see Kenny that's the plan we stick too" she told the Floridian matter of factly.

"Maybe we should figure out how to escape" Jane tossed in, her zombie guts idea no doubt in everyone's mind.

"Even if we wanted too, that's near impossible now" Shel stated sadly her head drooping.

"Okay Y'all get off to bed! Jane! You're up front again! And Stephanie, Stan wants you near the expansion!" Troy was grinning at his own use of sexual innuendo as the words "expansion" left his lips, he opened the shutter as a silent Jane followed him out of it, however before a silent Stephanie could stand Shel gripped her shoulder.

"You don't have to keep this doing Stephanie, especially not tonight" she informed her, the rest of the group were listening in with great interest.

"No... I... have too, I'll see you later Shel" and with that Stephanie was led out of the door, as Troy eyed the pair of them with great interest, with the shutter closing behind them Clementine and the rest of the group could only sit there, rather confused.

"That's the second time that Jane girl's been called out and now Stephanie? What the hell's going on?" Kenny asked, as Rebecca's eyes suddenly snapped wide open as it dawned on her, she turned to Shel and asked "It's not still happening is it?"

"It happens all the time now" She responded sadly.

"What happens all the time now? Surely not..." Kenny began as he clocked two and two together as why two young women were being escorted away from the pen for "jobs" by male guards.

"Yep" Shel responded "How else do you think that we have a fire, toilet and running water?" she asked as understanding dawned on Kenny's face, as Clementine also tried to put two and two together "So... Stephanie and Jane are making deals with those guys so we can have a fire and water and all that?" she asked of Shel who nodded, glad not to explain "the birds and the bees" to an eleven year old.

Upon learning this news Kenny shot a protective, lingering look at Sarita as he muttered to Shel "Does... every woman in this camp..." he began.

"Well, most. Not all of us agree to it though. Trust me I was offered" Shel said as she clenched her fists together.

"I was too" Bonnie added "I had to decline, the girls that do it... they either do it too gain more privileges themselves, or help their friends gain more privileges" she said as she sadly stared after Stephanie. Jane could look after herself, but Clementine knew that Bonnie was concerned about Stephanie and whatever deal she was doing right now was certainly not helping her.

"I bet this is part of Bill's plan for the _next generation" _Rebecca growled, as she seemed to softly mutter "He started with me you know? When Luke and Bill started clashing, I... I made the deal too to get him too lay off us... and look how that turned out" she said as Kenny stared at her in a new light.

"You didn't actually... like him at one point did you?" he inquired.

Rebecca didn't seem to answer that, as Mike of all people seemed to understand she needed rest and privacy and muttered "C'mon guys, let's just get some sleep were all cranky as hell" following his words the group slowly but surely made their ways back to their bunks. After such an emotionally exhausted day they all needed sleep to help clear their heads, Clementine saw Bonnie hunched over Luke trying to mutter some comforting words to him, she walked off with a worried look on her face.

Rather than lay down in her bunk, she quickly walked over to Luke's bunk and stood over the sniffing man.

"Hey" she said to his back.

"Hey Clem" he replied, not turning to face her as he remained in a still position.

"I just wanted to see if you're alright, I... really think it was brave of you for not making a deal with Carver" she said softly as he seemed to sniff once again. His happy go lucky tone to his voice had faded from his voice entirely, leaving a sad grumble of a tone in it's place, so when he said "I appreciate you checking up on me, but I'm fine Clementine" she knew this was a lie.

But, she realised that when it came to his well-being, Luke was always "Fine", as she walked back to her own bunk she knew that he bottled up his problems and this caused more harm than good. He may have thought he was being selfless, but Kenny had made a point that Luke seemed determined to prove himself a "saint" to the others. She only wished he would open up more, he didn't have to keep to himself, there was a lot about Luke she still needed to know.

As she lay down she realised there was a lot she needed to know about the others. Stephanie making that deal... for them.

How well did she really know and trust her allies?

If that was the case, how well could she trust this Russell guy?

* * *

The day had passed in silence for Nick and Sarah, trapped in the old trailer. Sarah nitpicked through the place, finding only a hairbrush, a pair of scissors and the skeletons of the two former residents of the trailer who were huddled together in a small closet, a revolver next to their baggy clothes, as Sarah clenched her nose at the damp rotting smell from next to them.

"Well that explains the barricade, but looks like they got bit anyway" Nick observed sadly as he picked up the revolver in one of the skeletons fingers, he gazed inside the magazine to find zero bullets inside. "Empty" he told Sarah glumly as he put the thing in his bag anyhow. He never knew what sort of ammo he may have found.

They remained quiet as the bandits were still lurking outside, talking and shouting and shooting... eventually as evening fell he could hear there loud banter drift across the trailer park. Their words crude, but Nick never listened to more than a sentence or learned any more of their names, other than who appeared to be the leader "Steve" Nick did not want to introduce himself to these people. They were threats without a shadow of a doubt.

Eventually evening fell, as the silent pair grew tired Nick found himself in an awkward position, they had a single double bed between the pair of them. He was 21 year old man with a 15 year old girl and they had to share a bed... to anyone else this would sound wrong to every extent. But Nick was no paedophile, yet the thought of sharing a bed with Sarah still made him uncomfortable, he eventually brought up the problem to Sarah who simply smiled.

"We'll just sleep back to back, I don't know why you find it weird, my dad slept by me" she told him merrily.

Sarah didn't really grasp the implications of a grown man sleeping next to a teenage girl, or Nick was just being stupid, as Sarah was coming up with all the suggestions today. He finally agreed on this idea as the lay on the top of the covers trying to make himself comfortable.

"Night" Sarah said.

"Night" he grumbled back as he hugged his pillow and drifted into an uneasy sleep...

Sarah however was wide awake... and fairly bored. She leapt off her bed when she found that she couldn't sleep anymore and glanced around her. But there was nothing else to find and Nick was fast asleep. She sighed wishing she could have some fun... but also...

"He taught me how to keep my hair short"

Sarah's smile lit the room as she reached into her bag and pulled out the pair of silver scissors she found earlier, with this the walkers wouldn't be able to grab her messy and knotty hair. Smiling, she proceeded towards the bathroom and began to (slowly but surely) hack of the longest strands of her greasy black hair. She kept on cutting as she looked up in the bathroom mirror and recoiled.

Okay... she had cut her hair to chin length and it looked like someone had hacked at it with a knife. She sighed, feeling weird and ugly with this new hairstyle, but yet it would make it harder for walkers to grab at her now. As she inspected her ugly hairdo she remembered that Nick had a giant puff of a mullet that was simply waiting to be grabbed by a walker.

A mischievous smile crept on her face, "Why should I be the only one with an ugly haircut" she thought as she approached a sleeping Nick and lowered herself next to him. Training the silver scissors on his mullet "I hope he doesn't get too mad, I'm just helping" she mused to herself and out loud as she nervously cut off the first strands of his jet black mane.

The hair fell to the floor and Nick slept on. Silently but carefully, Sarah began to dispose of the mullet that ran down his neck as she did however Nick's ever present cap on his head also fell to the floor., his hair on top seemed fairly wavy and reminded her of Luke's hairstyle. She smiled and decided to pick up his cap once again, however through her blurry vision she caught sight of something in his cap.

"What's this?" she thought as she peered through the darkness and picked up the stack of 5 photos that Nick had cleverly stored in his cap. Well it made sense to Sarah now... he never took his cap off and it held these photos in place.

The first two photos showed two beautiful nude women, Sarah blinked twice to make sure what she seeing was actually real... it was and not just her poor eyesight playing tricks on her. She couldn't put her finger on it but these photos made her uncomfortable and made her wonder why the hell Nick had these pictures. Confused she pretended to never see them as she dropped them back into his cap.

The next three photos made more sense, one was of Nick's mother. Sarah remembered her briefly from seeing her at the cabin and back in the community. She was upstairs when she heard Nick's mom scream... despite the fact she barely knew Nick's mother. Her sudden absence from the group as Carlos gently told her "She's gone to a better place sweetie" still unnerved Sarah back then.

Sighing she flipped around to next photo which showed a younger Nick who was her age or slightly younger. Holding a rifle with younger Pete who still had strands of black hair. The backdrop was of a pine forest as they both were beaming through the photo, forever more smiling into nothingness.

"He really does like his father" Sarah thought sadly, She had known Pete a lot better and Clementine's blunt statement on his death had caused her misery for weeks. She liked the old man, he seemed funny and wanted her more involved in the group... too bad he never got the chance to do that.

Sighing, Sarah dropped these two photos back into the cap and gazed at the final one, which showed Nick and Luke (in their early 20's or late teens) smiling together at some sort of party. These two seemed like good friends and Sarah would have to ask Nick more about their friendship in the upcoming days.

She dropped the final of the five photos back into the cap and quickly placed it back onto his head, pretending as if she hadn't seen the photos he had cleverly kept in store there. Cutting of the final short strands of Nick's once bushy mullet, she smiled at her work and then innocently got back into bed next to him.

Wondering what would wake her first. Nick's horrified reaction to his own haircut, or her's.

She smiled never the less. Glad to be of some help.


	29. Hitting A Dead End

**A/N: 160 reviews! Thanks a bunch guys, and this is your last chance to vote in the poll if you haven't already. **

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for the review and I agree with you on all of those shipping's. The Cluke and Nuke shipping's really confuse me as well (I haven't watched criminal minds but I've heard good things about it) still it annoys me that everyone thinks Nick and Luke are gay because their close friends. I'm not homophobic but everybody seems obsessed with making two close male friends lovers. There is a massive difference between a bromance and romance, and I hope to portray a bromance between Nick and Luke. **

**I am running low on ideas but I still have a few on backup, so... if you were writing the episodes (if it came down too it) which 3 characters would you kill off? (I know these are coming off as questions more than discussions but it's all that's mind right now) **

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Thanks for your reviews and as you now know what I have planned It will be great to hear from you how well I execute what I have coming up. and as for your question I'm not a massive fan of Clem/Sarah but beats "Cluke" any day. and as for Carver or Troy offering Clem a "deal" it may be possible in a world of no taboo's like you said... but Troy and Carver would really have to lose it before they resorted to the rape of an 11 year old (that sounded really dark didn't it?) **

**apathy- Yep, I reckon we need a hot headed Kenny and Sarah and Nick scenes, are quickly turning into my favourite bits to write. **

**Night-Chan-DragonEyes- Thanks for your review! and it will be great to write about some Luke and Clem as a little sister, big brother dynamic.**

**Rebloxic- Yep, Sarah's gotta cut that hair. And as for your question... I don't think either of them are at Wellington but they are both out there somewhere, defiantly alive. Christa's tough as is Lilly I reckon they could both hold their own. **

**and finally AquaDestinysEmbrace thank you as always! **

* * *

"GET UP!" Came the roar of Troy through the morning air. Clementine had to rub her eyes, her body was starting to get used to these rude awakenings every morning. She didn't like it, but she could adapt to these conditions and not shrivel up and die... and speaking of adapting...

"COME ON GET YOUR LOUSY ASSES UP!" Troy was bellowing as he clanked open the shutter as Clementine leapt from her bunk and shivered as her breath came out as fog and goosebumps spread up her bare arm. Causing her old scar to prickle uncomfortably, rubbing her arms together and trying to keep herself warm she walked towards Troy.

"COME ON Y'ALL GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO TODAY!" Troy pleasantly informed them.

"Were gonna freeze up and die if we don't get some more layers on! See how we work for y'all then" Luke (of all people) snapped back at Troy. His face was still dark as Clementine knew he was affected by the previous night.

"Hey! No one was fucking speaking to you!" Troy shouted back, as Luke's face crumpled in a silent rage as another guard walked in and began to inform the group of who would be working with who today. Stephanie and Jane were also back with the group, Jane looked the same as always but Stephanie's gaze remained trained to the floor which made Clementine slightly concerned...

"Shel and Stephanie your collecting salvage again, Luke you're back by the barricade with Vince, Clementine you're with Mike by the northern expansion..." Clementine could already sense another dull day lying ahead of her, however before they set off Vince muttered to the group "Okay me and Luke are with Russell today. I'll try and convince him"

"You fucking better, we don't seem to have an alternative here" Kenny muttered back, before they were ushered to their posts.

* * *

"Okay get to work!" A badly shaven man snapped at Mike and Clementine the second they stepped outside to work on the sloppy wooden barricade there. Sighing Clementine struggled to lift a heavy piece of wood from her side.

"Hurry the hell up!" The man shouted at her, as she clenched her teeth together and held the plank near to the gap as Mike hammered it into place, doing so they worked on the second plank and the third... covering the gaps present in the barricade as they work seemed to zap up all their time and energy, well it certainly seemed to zap at Clementine's energy as she struggled to lift the large planks that only grew heavier...

"Jesus fucking Christ! Do I have to whip you to do this!?" The man screamed from behind her ear, causing her to jump and drop the plank as the man clenched his eyes in a rage and raised a palm to strike Clementine...

"Hey! That's enough!" Mike shouted wrapping his own strong hand around the man's wrist as the man shot a look of loathing at Mike as he tugged his hand free and muttered "You people... I don't know why I don't just kill the pair of you"

Clementine was hardly surprised by the threat and Mike didn't seem too scared by it either, instead he growled back "Hey man, do you think any of us enjoyed doing what we did!?"

"BUT YOU STILL DID IT!" The man suddenly exploded, shooting daggers at Mike as they store each other down. Clementine tensed and slowly grabbed a hammer from the tool box from behind her, just in case the scene turned ugly. The badly shaven man had a rifle on him but it hung limply by his side... however Clementine wasn't one who took chances.

"Carver fucking made us! You know his trying to divide the community man! Great a grip! His the bad guy and not us!" Mike tried explaining to the man. Thankfully Mike was naturally laid back and hard to anger, but Clementine could tell (that with his muscles) that once he did get angry, the consequences would be severe for whoever pissed him off. She felt assured that Mike could handle the situation... however that didn't prevent her from dropping her hammer.

"Yeah! But you still took valued those personal possessions over people's lives! Whatever Carver made you do... you still physically killed them! You executed people! You murdered people close to me! Do-you-have-any-idea..." the man was growling, his teeth gnashing so hard against each other Clementine expected blood to leak from his mouth. The situation seemed to tense as Mike muttered "Man, we are sorry, but fuck... Carver is the crazy motherfucker here..."

The man's face sunk in rage, Clementine knew now was the time to speak up.

"His right Mike, we did value our personal possessions over those people's lives" she looked up at the 12 walkers hanging from the wall as Mike followed her gaze. The bad tempered man looked up at the bodies for a few seconds, before flashes of pain and anger swept across his face, He blinked hard and snapped his gaze away from the bodies of people he once cared about, he didn't know what to say now that the girl had admitted her mistake.

"We did it because we did want to protect our personal possessions, that's true. But Luke didn't" she explained to the man who was now staring at her (she hated the way people stared at her, but she carried on anyhow) "He cared about your lives more than his personal possessions and that was a massive sacrifice for him too make, so you can hate us. But don't think there aren't at least some of us who want to help you here" she concluded as she turned away from the man pretending to get back to work.

She knew she had made an impression on him, as he remained silent for a few minutes, he finally seemed to find his lost voice.

"I wish I could help... but..." he looked up to the bodies above him and sighed sadly "There's no point" he murmured.

"You gotta help us fight against Carver! His fucking crazy, come on man, do you want more of your friends to die?" Mike demanded to know of him. The man no longer looked angry, but lost and hopeless as he muttered to the floor "There are 42 of us left in this community you know? About 15 of you are in that pen and Carver has about 10 people who would die for him. That leaves exactly 21 of us around the community" He explained to them as he headed towards the door.

"Carver caught Luke's group when they tried to escape, he had you kill a quarter of us for rebelling. If that rebellion failed why should this one succeed? I want that crazy fuck dead but... there's no way it will ever happen" The man concluded on a sombre note as she crouched by the wall and held his head in his hands. And mumbled into his open hands "Get back to work..."

"You can't just give up!" Mike bellowed.

"JUST FUCKING WORK!" The man exploded once again at them, before he returned to his crouched position on the floor.

"Fine, be a dick" Mike muttered to himself before he returned to Clementine as they continued the exhausting process of working on the barricade "Nice speech back there kid, I bet you could run for congress if this whole end of the world thing hadn't occurred" Mike mused to her as she lifted another plank.

"Thanks" she said as she handed the plank to him, as he easily lifted the thing over his head.

"Speaking of jobs, were you a body-builder before all this?" she asked, she never got to know Mike that well at all during their first time together, and so far he had kept quite too himself this time as well. Yet he was friendly enough and Clementine was truly intrigued to learn more about him.

He smiled down at her and said "Nah, I was a fire-fighter though" he informed her as Clementine's eyes lit up at this new information, as she suddenly pictured Mike in a fireman's uniform.

"That's pretty cool" she muttered impressed, she could now easily imagine Mike in a fireman's uniform now. He did seem like a gentlemen and knew how to keep calm in such dire situations. As they continued to work he decided that Clementine's interest in his personal life had earned a returned friendly question "What about you kid... what did you like to do before all this?" he asked of her.

Clementine racked her brains "Well... I went to school and I liked to draw, I lived with my parents and that was it really" Clementine told him, remembering her former 8 year old self as smiled... oh how she wished she could go back to such peaceful times...

They continued to work on, until Clementine asked another burning question as she looked up at Mike.

"Hey Mike... what happened to your ear?" she inquired gazing the scar on his face and part of his ear that had been torn off, Mike grinned once again and answered.

"Well I'll just say this..." Mike pointed to his ear "Was a close call. Never travelled with a group after it. I was by myself for a while until I stumbled onto this place, just to my damn luck" he informed her as he gazed out at the empty car park before he looked back the community "It's a shame though, we could build something good here, people just have a lack of faith" he commented on the situation as Clementine nodded.

"We can still beat Carver, it will just take some time" She told Mike. Carver may have crushed the community's spirit. But she would never give him the satisfaction of crushing her's.

* * *

Russell was never one to believe in stupid plans.

So the second he was left alone with Vince and Luke, his old friend had practically pounced on him "Okay Russ, you know it's fucked up here... you're the only of us out the pen now... " he began to babble as Luke looked over at them sadly before carrying on with his work. Russell watched as his old friend went on... and on... and on... and eventually Russell's patience snapped.

"Vince" he finally responded annoyed "I don't want to get involved in some stupid plan you have. I know Bill's fucking crazy alright! But what the fuck can we do about it!" He exclaimed to Vince, as Russell watched his friend's face fall. Before Vince was up on the defence again as he ran his fingers through the wild greasy black strands of his messy hair, he paced around for a full minute before finally turning to Russell again.

"We have to do something!" He shouted exasperated to the sulky young man.

"Vince, you're not listening! Bill _will_ kill you! and if I get involved I'll just suffer the same fate as you!" He roared to the Asian man as Vince's eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Russ! He'll kill us all eventually whether you're in the pen or not!" Vince roared trying his hardest to make Russell see sense.

"Vince... look... there's nothing you can do! Did you see what Bill made you do! Everyone was so convinced that rebellion was going to work and it fucking didn't! So why the hell do you think that by having me help your shitty little pen group, that will somehow lead to the a rebellion that will work!?" He asked of a man he once saw as a wise leader.

He also once saw the world as a much brighter place, until Steve and his group had horrified him to the core by killing and stealing.

His experience with Nate only hardened his shell, watching Nate kill the old couple and he just did nothing about it.

After he fled from Nate, he made his way to his grandmother's house. He had held onto the faint hope they were alive, but the final childish rays of optimism was vanquished when he found his family as walkers...

Then he came across Vince and the group. But by this point he could only snap at people. Afraid to grow attached to anyone after what he had been through, he wanted to stay alive and not die pointlessly. Becca's death had only made him distance himself further from his former group, he knew that everyone would die eventually.

There was simply no point in hoping for better anymore. He had grown up a long time ago.

This was his mind-set, he wasn't going to change it, as he store down Vince. The Asian man felt complied to do anything to get him react... to get him to see sense...

"Are just going too stand around and do nothing Russell? Just like you did when you watched Nate kill that old couple?"

Russell had gotten close to Vince, he entrusted the leader of their small group and therefore been able to confide in him some of his experiences in the past. The fact that Vince had blown this back in his face only made Russell dive further into his shell as he hissed hatefully from Vince from inside the safety of his little "Shell"

"Fuck. Your. Rebellion" Russell snarled to Vince.

Vince's face fell, things weren't looking good, as Russell's mind was firmly set.

For now.

* * *

"AHHHHHHH WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Sarah could only beam as she eyes remained closed as she heard Nick scramble to get to the bathroom. She heard him swear as he (no doubt) gazed at his reflection. She couldn't hold back the laughter, she giggled using her hand to muffle the sounds (it failed) as a furious Nick stormed into the room,Sarah's act was up as she got up from the bed.

"What the hell did you do Sarah!?" Nick exclaimed at her, as Sarah could only giggle harder at the face he was pulling.

"I gave your a haircut" she responded innocently.

"You cut off my mullet! Do you know how long I spent growing that thing!?" he demanded of her, as she only found herself laughing harder.

"It was ugly" she told him.

"So! You don't just cut my hair without permission!" he sternly told her.

"Well it looks better now anyway" she argued with humour laced in her voice.

Nick's eyes seemed to pop out of his head as he suddenly found himself horrified at Sarah's haircut "And what the hell have you done with your own hair!?" he asked in horror.

"Well... like this walkers won't be able to grab it. Same reason for you and your mullet, Clementine taught me that a short haircut was the smartest one" her wise words finally seemed to soothe Nick, as the humorous argument drew to a close as he sighed and looked back at his reflection in the bathroom mirror once again.

"Well... I suppose as long as were safe" he muttered readjusting the cap on his head as the red thing covered every strand of his jet black hair.

They spent the next couple of minutes checking through all of their supplies. However just before they could tuck into their breakfast a dreaded banging on the door froze the pair in their tracks.

"I heard voices coming from in here!" A man bellowed in a deep voice.

"And it's barricaded! Reckon anyone could be inside?" A woman asked.

"Most likely... HEY! WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" The same man with the deep voice shouted as he banged on the door again causing dust to fall from the celling. Nick felt his stomach turn to lead, how had such a humorous situation turned to a matter of life or death in mere minute?

"Fuck! We can't even have a laugh anymore!" he thought angrily to himself as another bang at the door caused Sarah to clutch onto Nick nervously. The cheeky aura around her gone as pure terror replaced it as she looked up at Nick.

"What are we going to do now!?" she asked of him.

Nick licked his lips nervously, reaching for his rifle he trained it onto the door for a few seconds, thinking maybe he could shoot them all. But that was far too risky... looking up he saw the skylight remained open and knew that was their best and only bet.

"Up here Sarah go! I'll boost you!" he exclaimed as the bangs grew louder and the poor excuse of the wooden barricade was starting to come loose, as Sarah lifted herself to the roof of the trailer, her supplies (along with the heavy bags of meds) with her. She placed these to one side as she gazed back into the dark gloom of the trailer they had hidden in for the past day. She extended her hand into the darkness "Come on Nick" she hissed as she felt a large hand wrap around her own small one. with all of her strength she tugged him up...

He was still too heavy for her, but Nick used his lanky legs to propel himself up the wall of the trailer, his head peered through the skylight as he used his arms to push himself too the roof. Relived Sarah stood up on the roof...

"HEY!" One of the bandits bellowed from below them seeing the form of a standing Sarah on the roof. She could barely had time to react as they trained their rifles on her, before Nick pushed her forward as the first bullet whizzed past her head.

"RUN!" He bellowed, as their cover was blown. With this in mind Sarah ran as she had never ran before in her life, as the curses of the bandits below her only increased her fear of them as more loud gunshots rang through the morning air, she was terrified one of these bullets would tear through her flesh. But they never did as she ran shakily forward, terrified to fall to the ground below, where she would be shot to pieces. Wiping sweat from her forehead she ran and jumped uneasily over the trailers trying to put as much space between herself and these bandits as possible.

Leaping over the space between the two trailers she spotted the fence leading away from the trailer park, gaining a large lead on the bandits, she threw the bag of meds over the fence and jumped over the thing itself and out of the dreaded trailer park. For a few seconds she never felt so free as she soared through the air, the pink morning sky above her and the lush pine forest beneath her feet. But this only lasted for a few seconds as she hit the floor with both feet.

The force of the fall caused her ankles to tingle in pain slightly, gritting her teeth Sarah quickly located the bag of meds and scooped it up from next to her before she heard a bellow of pain from behind her.

_Nick_.

In her haste she had forgotten about him, but just as her blood turned to ice as she feared the worst, the man she had grown closer to over the past couple of days also fell from the trailer and too the safe outside. (Well it wasn't safe, but it was away from those bandits) yet she knew something was off. Nick landed face first into the dry soil with a dull "THUMP" panicked she went to check on him.

"Are you alright?" she asked alarmed as he lifted his face. It was bruised but that wasn't the problem, his army patterned trousers were splashed with a crimson hole by the kneecap as Nick struggled to lift himself to his feet.

"This hurts... so bad" he muttered before (with a heavy sigh) he fell to the floor and muttered "I can't walk Sarah, you have to leave me" there was a pleading in his tone and she gazed into his sad blue ore's. He had been shot in the knee, there was no way he could move now and even if she could, they'd be moving at such a slow pace... the bandits would catch up to them.

In fact... they were approaching now. Every second counted and Sarah knew she had only mere seconds to either leave Nick behind or get him moving.

She breathed in deep, trying hard not to panic as her fear overwhelmed her, she was terrified of dying.

But she would not leave Nick behind. No matter what.


	30. River Runs Cold

**A/N: Okay the poll is closed! Thanks for everyone who voted and the final results stand at this. Clem and Sarah tied for first place with 7 votes each, while Nick was runner up with 3 votes. Kenny and Bonnie shared 3rd place with 2 votes and there was also some love for Luke, Vince, Wyatt, Eddie and Stephanie. **

**Clarah Convert- Sorry, I plan to keep Sarah and Clem as a strong friendship in this fic. **

**SuperIdinaMenzelObsessedFanboy- Thanks for your review! and thanks your opinions on who you wanted to die and how it should happen (especially Kenny and everybody wants Troy and Carver dead) **

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for the continued support and I'll agree with you on the episode 5 deaths. Kenny is a goner, the baby is a goner, and so is Bonnie. I think Mike hasn't got a hope as hell as well. So that leaves Clem and Luke. Personally I'd prefer they start season 3 with just Clem alone once again and a little older. Expect this time they introduce new characters and avoid the mistakes that plagued Season 2. Yeah and I'm guess I'm really putting Nick through the meat grinder aren't I?**

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Thanks for the review and I love how you pointed out that Clem had more balls than any of them (which, let's face it, is true) added to the fact most of them would have probably chosen their personal possessions over executing a group of people they didn't know. I have dark things planned ahead (as you know). **

**apathy- Thanks for your suggestions, I try to get around to every character through Clem's discussions with them (e.g Stephanie, Vince and now Mike) I could imagine it as a HUD scenario, (I don't know why Telltale didn't add many of these in season 2, I don't really care if there time consuming I want to get to know the characters better, and you don't have to speak them if you don't want too) Anyhow I'm glad you found Mike back-story and Russell's reaction believable and I liked your suggestion on Nick and Sarah. **

**K. Lynn Perks- It's nice to have a new reviewer and thanks for the review. I could easily see Mike as a fireman it just fits his personality.**

**Rebloxic- Thanks as always and I don't think Clem will die. But everyone else will, hence Season 3 will open and Clementine will be alone once again (yet a little older) or they could just bring in a new protagonist. Those are my two theories.**

**and last but not least AquaDestinysEmbrace thanks for your kind words!**

* * *

Without thinking straight, Sarah dropped the heavy bag of meds and screamed at Nick "HOLD THESE!"

"SARAH WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GO!?" Nick bellowed at her as she placed her head under Nick's lanky arm and she muttered "No, You're coming with me"

"I can't move Sarah..." he began in a sad mumble before Sarah cut him off and said "If you don't move, I don't move".

Nick shot a burning glare her way as he next words were fuelled with force at the teenager "Sarah! Don't be a fucking Idiot and go!"

She shook her head, "I don't know what to do out there Nick. I'd die" she admitted fearfully as they gazed at each other for a few more seconds... Nick could hear the yells of the bandits getting closer. Time was running out and Nick wanted to simply encourage her to move once again so he could die the hero by buying her time. But the look of fear in her eyes as she squinted into the dark treeline ahead of them made them re-think his decision to die.

What would be the point?

Sarah had gotten tougher, but at the end of the day she was still a scared 15 year old relying on Nick to move them forwards, wasn't it his job to look after her? He had promised Carlos' that, the only way he could make up for his massive screw up was to bring Sarah back to the community, alive and well. Without him how would she find her way back? How would she find food? Fight bandits? She wasn't ready to face this alone... not yet.

"Come back man" Luke words vibrated in his pounding skull, as he inhaled sharply. For one of the first times seeing the value of his own life. Maybe... just maybe a small part of him wanted to live too... but... his knee. He couldn't move.

He couldn't? Or he simply didn't want too?

He store back at Sarah, her feet were planted firmly in the ground. No matter what he said ,he knew there was no way she was going to leave him to die here. Sarah... Clementine... they all seemed so determined not to leave him to just wallow and die and how did he repay all this? All this time and effort they had spent on him? By dying on them anyhow?

No. That wasn't him. He may have wanted to die heroically, but he wanted to protect the group even more, and to do this he had to survive.

Gritting his teeth he muttered a long "Fine" to Sarah, whose face lit up like a light-bulb as she slowly stood, supporting Nick on her frail shoulders as Nick felt drops of blood roll down his knee as his leg flared with an unimaginable pain which caused his eyes to water. He leant on Sarah (who was shaking but trying her hardest to hold him up), placing all of the pressure on his good leg he panted "Okay... I've changed my mind let's get the fuck outta here" He told a smiling Sarah.

They moved forward. Sarah jogging slightly as Nick hopped as fast as he could on his single leg. He realised (too little to late) he had left his fully loaded rifle behind on the floor. But there was no time to go and get it now, as the continued to hold onto the heavy bag of meds as it swayed in his grip. He would not let go of their ticket back into the community. Their free ticket back to Luke and Clem and the others.

They moved at an awfully slow pace, Nick closed his eyes as he hopped on awkwardly, expecting the bandits to shoot him down at any second. Yet for some odd reason they didn't come. Nick dared to crank open his eyes as he saw that him and Sarah were almost at the treeline, his felt like a balloon was rising in his gut. Was he actually going to make it? Make it into the dark shade and cover of the tree's and overgrown shrubs?

"THERE! SHOOT THE FUCKERS!"

Of course not. He had gotten his hopes up too high.

The first of the bandits bullets whizzed past his hip as Sarah gasped and proceeded to run forward now, practically dragging Nick with her. Who felt like he was about to fall to the floor (mainly because he had a bag of meds weighing him down and he was hopping on a single leg) yet despite his very shaky balance, Sarah somehow kept him standing, one minute they were out in the open and the next Nick felt himself get cooler as they had reached the shade of the treeline.

"FUCK! CHASE AFTER THEM!" Nick recognised the leader (Steve) instruct to his fellow bandits. Nick didn't waste any time looking back or yelling wanted he so desperately wanted to at these persistent pests of bandits ("WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM!? LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE! WERE NOT BOTHERING YOU!") instead he clenched his teeth tighter together and stared at the forest ahead of him as gunshots rang out behind him...

The bullets ruffled the leaves above him, or embedded themselves into the bark of the nearby trees. Yet none of the shots came as close as they did when he or Sarah was in the open. But he was taking no chances as the bandits were running to catch them. There was no doubt they simply wanted to kill him and Sarah and take their supplies (no doubt they wanted the large bin bag they had on them) but Nick wouldn't simply stop and try to negotiate with these bandits.

"WALKERS!" Sarah yelled in a panic, breaking Nick's train of thought as she swerved to the left, almost causing Nick to go flying, yet he retained his grip on the teenagers shoulders as he gazed upwards to find a swarm of walkers closing in on them as their dark silhouette's stumbled out of the shadows.

"Oh Give us a fucking break!" He bellowed in rage to the approaching walker of a young man.

"I HEARD SOMEONE YELL FROM OVER HERE!" Came one of the bandits voices, pointing in the direction Nick and Sarah were headed.

Nick didn't even dare to yell again. Instead he simply wondered how this day could get any worse. First he had a bad haircut, then the bandits found them. Then he got shot in the knee, now they were walkers closing in on him. Nick couldn't imagine this day getting any worse than it already had.

As a bullet barely missed him, he realised that the day could get worse. They could die.

He looked forward desperately as the pair of them ran through the vegetation, the bandits gaining on them... the walkers snarls growing forever louder. Sweat rolled in beads down Nick's forehead, Sarah looked blue from all the effort she was inserting to keep Nick steady and trying to run at the same time. Through the mounting danger Nick ears only picked up on one thing... one thing that could save them.

The rush of a nearby river.

"This way!" He told Sarah pointing as she made another turn and ran blindly, straight towards the river... Nick felt like he was on his last verges of energy, as did Sarah as she somehow continued to move her aching limbs through the forest as her clothes were drenched with sweat, only at the last second did she hear the river, and see the sharp drop in front of her. She cursed her poor vision with a angry "Damn it!" However she couldn't stop and Nick practically pushed her forward.

They tumbled down the sheer rock face violently, Nick seemed to slide head-first into the river, while Sarah rolled violently into the river, as her world went dizzy as she screamed. However as suddenly as her world had spun out of control, it seemed to steady itself as she landed into the freezing cold river below her with a splash she fell under the water.

For a few moments all the noises of the gunshots, the walkers and the wildlife were all gone. Replaced with eerie hum of the water that pushed against her eardrums, in the silence Sarah found a second of peace before she realised she couldn't breathe. Panicked she desperately kicked her way to the surface.

The crashing of the fast flowing river pressed down on her eardrums as the river threw her violently under the surface once again. In a increasing panic she kicked herself to the surface once again.

"NICK!" She screamed, while trying to gasp for air and kick to keep herself afloat, she wasn't a great swimmer, however just before she found herself sliding under the surface once again, she felt a hand grasp around her neck and hold her up.

"Hold on!" Nick yelled coughing out drops of water as he kept himself and Sarah afloat, he was glad that his Uncle Pete had taught him to swim. Nick was a good swimmer, yet now that was hampered by the fact he had to work both of his legs and he was shot in the knee. The cold water had been a sharp shock that kept his body functioning and made the pain in his leg lessen slightly. But Nick knew the second he was out of the water, the pain would kick in, worse than ever.

He realised that his the soaking bin bag was still in his grip. Using his single arm and two legs he was keeping himself and Sarah afloat. He wouldn't let go of the meds, in the same way he wouldn't let go of Sarah. Or his life.

The rapid rush of the river bashed and battered them downstream, for Nick the endless task of keeping himself afloat was beginning to exhaust him. All he could see were the same splashes of colourless water splash into his face and noon neon blue sky above him.

This seemed to go for hours. Nick was desperate to put as much space between himself and those bandits as possible. He seemed to swim for hours (but it was probably much less time that that) When his body finally screamed in protest for him to stop, breathing heavily and feeling like he was about to pass out he felt himself (automatically) swim towards a nearby bank.

They were at the meander of the river, where the water was much calmer, thanks to this Nick was able to cut through the water easily. As they reached the shore the only sounds were the faint rush of the water behind them. The hum of the wildlife and the exhausted panting of themselves as the water sloshed and both managed to crawl onto the sandy bank.

He collapsed on his back, his world spinning, his head heavy. His cap and clothes soaked down to the bone which weighed him down. Sarah was coughing out water next to him as he faced the burning white sun above him. Well... at least that could keep him slightly warm.

His leg now felt numb which wasn't a good sign. But for now he didn't care... he felt so drowsy, he felt bile rise and fall in his throat as his stomach churned, he felt like crap and he was so tired...

"Hey..." he croaked to Sarah who crawled over to him "You did good"

"You too" she panted back, wiping water from her eyes, as she shivered and tried to regain her breath. Her body aching all over and that violent fall into the river hand't helped matters.

Nick didn't see any more, as exhaustion overtook him as he finally passed out on the bank. Sarah noticed this and shook him in concern.

"Nick?" she asked worriedly. When he didn't respond she checked his breath, to her relief he was still breathing. But there was no doubt he was hurt and exhausted. Looking over at the backpack on his back, she realised that she would have to help to patch him up.

She looked around the empty bank nervously. Nick may not have been dead, but there was no doubt he wouldn't be getting up soon.

She had to deal with this alone.

* * *

As Clementine had grown accustomed too, it was another crappy day at Howard's Hardware.

Carver had no doubt scared the community into submission, as Mike and Clementine returned to the pen that night to find Vince ranting to Kenny...

"... I can convince him! It just needs time!" He was bellowing to a red faced Kenny.

"I am done waiting!" Kenny shouted in response as Clementine took her seat "We have to end this fucker, now! If we keep on waiting more of us will die! The community isn't going to help us! Their scared shitless!" He tried to hammer that fact into Vince's brain but Vince would not have it.

"I know people are scared, but dammit we need to play this clever!" He tried telling the group as a whole.

"We could still go for an escape" Jane suggested.

"And then Bill will just chase us down again, no we need to finish him off" Rebecca snarled from her bed.

"Look, we've hit a dead end here, I know that if I was in this community I would be scared too" Sarita informed the group. Clementine was glad to see she was back up and talking, but this still didn't help matters.

"If we could only convince someone close to Bill to get him to rebel" Rebecca suggested more too herself than to the group, as the group looked at her, she continued "If we could do that, we could catch Bill off guard and then with him out of the way we could have a more less violent uprising"

Kenny shook his head at such a suggestion "I wish that was the case, but there's no way. Those fuckers are so far up Carver's ass they pay rent for it!" He told the group as a few people chuckled slightly at his last words "I think I'll use that insult in the future" Eddie told Wyatt.

"We still need to rely on Russell and the rest of the community, but even then it will be a bloody uprising. But we need to do it. We still outnumber Carver and his ass lickers" Shel explained to the group, it wasn't much of a plan but it was the only one they had right now. Shel's words of common sense seemed to find common ground with everyone. Even a hot headed Kenny, who simply sighed and uttered "We are fucking sunk here folks..."

Troy's yell for them to get to bed was obeyed. The group didn't know what to do. Clementine couldn't conjure up a master plan this time. As she crawled into bed she began thinking that maybe she should of just allowed the group to escape. Maybe she could have saved Carlos in the herd, as well as Sarah and Nick and Sarita. But Carlos was dead and everyone else was miserable and soon to be dead.

The first time they had beaten Carver in less than 3 days. This time (no matter how hard they tried) he seemed unstoppable. Clementine wondered if she had wasted her second chance by being too cautious, now they were reduced to begging a community, who feared Carver and despised them to help them.

The majority were against Carver, that was a fact.

Yet, only the people in the blue jumpsuits would act out against him.


	31. Cry

**A/N: Okay I'm going to make this authors note a little different from the others. I won't be addressing you guys based off your individual reviews (but I'll get back to it next chapter) just right now I'm in a strange state of mind. (but I will quickly answer your question Rebloxic, I think Mike will die, Bonnie will be fatally injured and everyone else will survive) **

**Starting off I've been looking on the Telltale games forums to see how the majority feel about how Nick and Sarah were handled in the game and to my delight there is a lot of Nick and Sarah love out there. In some particular threads there are very interesting arguments on how Telltale completely disrespected their characters. and now I've been hearing about some recent interview where the Telltale staff were apparently "excited to kill off Sarah". I know people get could get annoyed by Sarah (me included) but to get excited by killing a 15 year old? (I know she's a fictional character but still...) the game is giving us a narrative that saving Sarah is the wrong choice. **

**I recommended you read the "Telltale wanted us to Hate Sarah and Nick" forum by skoothz, it explains my point better than I ever could and the last two lines really ring true.**

**In Season 1, we were meant to sympathize with Molly and to hate Crawford.**

**In season 2, we're meant to ****_become Crawford._**

**These type of things opened my eyes and I just hoping that anyone reading this story doesn't take offence to the way I've treated Sarah so far, if there are any issues or anything let me know. (Because I've never really dealt with someone with autism before) **

**Another thing (which is completely off the bat and random) is something else I've seen that's disgusted me to the core. But how would you feel if you'd watch a vile, bully of a woman on a TV show for 10 weeks, won this TV show (with a free pass to the final) and have her win 125K (a lot of money) just because she was "honest?" If you're in UK you probably know what I'm on about, if not let's just say this result has really angered me. **

**Sorry about the rant, it's just something I had to get off my chest. But in a world where a bullies can win a hell of a lot of money and where people are actually "excited" to kill off a girl with a mental disorder... I just... feel very strange and appalled right now.**

**Anyway you guys stay awesome! and I'll get back on track with the usual Author's notes by next chapter.**

* * *

Sarah had never been alone before.

At the start she had her parents, then she just had her father who was always by her side. And then they were in the community, before moving on surrounded by the others, in the cabin the group members and her father were always close. Then they were on the move again, the ski lodge and then back to the community and now travelling with Nick.

And now Nick was passed out next to her. She wasn't safely under the roof of a cabin, close too many friendly faces. She was alone. Alone in the unforgiving harsh woods, full of bandits and walkers with no Nick too protect her, if they were attacked now, she truly had to defend them both.

It was scary enough shooting the walkers back at the trailer park, or helping Nick through the woods. Each time she had saved him which gave her a bit of a flush of pride. However both times he was conscious and yelling at her about what she should have done, now he was passed out she glanced at the treeline nervously every couple of seconds, feeling aimless without him.

She did know where to begin however.

She crawled across the sandy bank towards where she had propped Nick up against a small rock and inspected the crimson blur that was his gunshot wound. For a while she could only stare at the gory thing, afraid to touch it in case something went wrong. But eventually she pulled out the bottle of peroxide she had used before (it was almost empty) along with the last scarps of bandages from the backpack she had placed on the floor next to Nick. The beg of meds lay drying in the midday sunlight.

"He still held onto them" Sarah thought impressed, as she lugged the bag next to Nick's prone form, this way she could keep an eye on all of the supplies while tending to Nick. She be damned if she was the one to lose the supplies Nick had fought so hard to get. With a sigh she rolled up Nick's trouser leg so she ready herself to patch it up.

The most she had ever suffered were small cuts (before her facial wound)and from what she had learnt from her father...

"We'll put a wipe on it to clean it up and then we'll put a plaster on it" Her father always used to tell her whenever she cut herself, as he gently wrapped the plaster around wherever she had cut herself (usually on the fingers).

By looking at Nick's deep wound she knew this wasn't simply just a "cut" he had been shot. The bullet penetrated inches of skin in his kneecap, dried blood coated his wound like a crimson crown as fresh blood slowly oozed out of it in small droplets. Sarah recoiled slightly as the smell of the festering wound made her utter to herself "Gross..."

She was to pour what was left of the peroxide onto Nick's wound until a flash of gold within the red mess of cracked skin and dried blood, it would seem that once again Nick had managed to get another bullet inside of himself. Sarah shrugged and made a small joke to himself about how "Nick clearly isn't popular around here" before she returned to the main problem. The bullet needed to be removed and she had to be the one to do it.

Taking a deep breath she plunged her hands into his wound, the fresh warm blood that slithered through her fingers, along with the horrible feel of his cracked skin on her palm made her shudder as she dug in deeper (causing more blood to spill from his wound) before her skinny fingers locked around something metal... wasting no time she pulled on the bullet.

It slid out slowly, Sarah tugged at it before it left Nick's system with a "Pop!" however looking down it was if she had drilled into an oil well. As Nick's blood was now sprouting from his wound in greater amounts "Oh no... no..." Sarah gasped, fumbling with the bottle of peroxide before nearly dropping it (as the blood that coated her hands made her grip slippery) however she regained herself and poured the colourless liquid onto the wound.

It sizzled as Sarah expected it too, Nick didn't even stir in his sleep, which concerned Sarah slightly. Yet the blood was still pouring from his wound, staining the white bandages with red fingerprints she remembered watching her father bandage more severe wounds.

"He just wrapped it around the wound... how hard can it be?" Sarah though to herself as she slowly began to wrap the bandage around Nick's knee. She went around and around and around. Using up every piece of bandages they had left, yet as sweat trickled from her forehead she knew she just wanted to help. She just wanted to ensure that Nick was safe.

She tightened the bandages around his wound and added her own cute little bow design (as if she tying her shoelaces) to keep the bandages tight and the pressure on the wound intact. She doubted her father added bows to his bandages, but Sarah didn't see how else he kept the bandages around the wound tight without them.

"If only you knew more Sarah" she whined to herself, feeling as if her bandage would fail. In fact she was so concerned she stooped in to check on the wound. To make sure that no blood seeped through the numerous layers of bandages around his knee, after watching for a ridiculously long while before she finally concluded that the wound was indeed dealt with.

Rolling his trouser leg back down, there was nothing left to do. Other than keep watch and protect Nick, she didn't need to go off venturing alone they had all the food and meds they needed right here. She was next to a river so she could wipe the blood from her fingers and refill her and Nick's canteen's.

The silence throughout that day was unnerving, no walkers, no bandits just the natural noises of the forest rang through her ears. Sarah grew more and more unnerved due to this as her sense of isolation sky-rocketed. No people... no walkers... just her. Alone, shivering and silent on this river bank.

She wondered how Clementine dealt with being alone like this?

Her thoughts drifted back to her friend, who would be waiting for her back at Howard's Hardware, she had promised Clementine she would come back and she still intended too. Yet she couldn't help but feel terrible about herself as she began to cry silently, Clementine never cried. Luke never cried. A lot of people were tough and here she was... unable to hold it in any longer.

"I'm so pathetic" she thought, but she couldn't help it. She hated this, she hated shooting and running and getting hurt. She wanted a few minutes of self indulgence and damn she would take it, now that she was alone.

No one comforted her, no one told her she was going to be alright, she simply cried herself dry, as evening descended (her clothes were still damp and the decreasing temperature made her shiver even worse) she simply felt a crushing sadness in her gut. Curling up next to Nick as night slowly fell, she simply closed her eyes as fatigue overtook her, she couldn't keep watch in the darkness.

Out of instinct, she placed Nick's limp arm around her shoulders, this reminded her of what it was like, when she slept by her father.

Although it wasn't much. It helped her sleep a little better.

* * *

Clementine couldn't sleep.

Although snores of many (especially Kenny) told her that her fellow pen dwellers had managed to get some rest for the night, Clementine simply couldn't sleep, the fact that Carver had backed them into a corner and that everything seemingly looked hopeless made her feel a sense of overwhelming guilt. She should have just let the group escape in the first place.

_She had messed up her second chance._

Sighing she got out of her bunk and proceeded towards the wooden barricade of the pen, feeling as helpless as she did when she was in the fields of white snow. She had been tough, but she had eventually broken and cried like she would when she was 8. This had ultimately gotten her killed and since then she had not shed a single tear. She was proud of herself for how tough she had been.

But, at the end of the day... she was 11 years old. She could be as tough as she could physically be. But she was still a child. A child who wanted to cry.

She felt ashamed of herself as she felt the tears well in her eyes, as she prepared to cry by herself. She didn't want anyone to see these tears, she had to stay tough for the group. They looked at her for reassurance, she had been the one to make the deal in the first place. If they saw her tears, then morale would fall lower than it already was.

However as she prepared to sit down, she noticed that somebody had already taken her spot.

"You too?" Luke asked, his voice cracked, not bothering to hide the tears that ran down his face. Clementine couldn't help but feel a little discomforted by seeing him like this. Luke was always the positive motivator of the group, the one that always able to "move on" in Nick's words, so seeing him broken like this was a little uncomfortable, but something she had been expecting since he exploded at Kenny, he was upset and his façade at hiding it had been failing as of late.

"Yeah, me too" she responded taking a seat on the floor, facing him.

For a few minutes they just sat there in the gloomy night, Clementine felt the silent tears roll down her cheeks as she tried hard not to sniff, she could hear Luke sniffing rather openly next to her. Eventually she looked up from the ground to find him gazing at her.

"This is first time I've ever seen you cry" He sobbed.

"You... you too" she responded, hating how her weak and squeaky her voice sounded in front of him. She felt herself as sniff loudly as a cascade of tears escaped from her yellow eyes and her body shook as she heaved and wept openly... the sounds of herself breaking down made her feel even worse. Thank God only Luke was awake to witness this.

Luke himself stood up and sat himself right beside her, he extended his arm and pulled Clementine close to his chest as she wept on "It's... okay to cry Clementine, just let it all out" he encouraged gently patting her on the back as she wept on for a few minutes, wiping the tears from on her crinkled jumpsuit she finally looked up at Luke, who was smiling through his crystal clear tears.

"Y'all wanna... talk about it?" Luke asked of her.

Clementine exhaled, she wanted to talk about it so much... but how on earth could she tell Luke she had seen the future? Or been to the future? How could she tell him she had messed it up for everyone and now they were going to die even worse than they had the first time? She couldn't. But she knew what she could tell him that was upsetting her...

"Back when I told Carver... I thought... I thought I was helping, but now..." she trailed off as she wept on before regaining her weak squeak of a voice "Now... because of me, everyone here is going to die. I just want to say I'm sorry... I'm sorry for betraying you in the first place Luke..." she broke down as she cried into his jumpsuit, the next words she uttered into the blue fabric of his shoddy clothing...

"We should have just escaped..."

"No... no don't worry about all that, okay?" he told her, his body heat helped warm her from not only the outside, but from the inside as well.

"If we'd have escaped... where would have Rebecca given birth, huh? Do you really think we'd have all gotten through that massive herd? I know we've lost people... but look around you..." Luke told her gently, Clementine did so after a short while as he followed his gaze to the full bunks around her, as well as the people sleeping on the floor.

"Look at this group Clem, look at all the people you've gotten on our side. It's all thanks to you, and just because we've hit a low point, it does not mean that we are finished. Fuck, If Carver thinks his finished us he has got another thing coming" Luke told her, as (she couldn't help it) she could already feel a small smile spread across her petite face.

"Maybe... you're right" she agreed with him. She never considered that, sure the group were in danger. But they were _together_. They were _united_. She had done this and as Luke had told her, the situation may have looked bleak but it was far from over.

As Lee had proven to her countless times.

She slowly pulled herself back together, as these positive thoughts filled her head, so much so that she nearly forgot about Luke. That was what Luke was so good at, helping other people feel better and never helping himself.

She would not leave him in this state.

"Luke, what's a matter with you?" She asked back at him, he shrugged his head as a thin smile spread over his pale face.

"Nothing, don't worry yourself about me" He responded, but this was always his response, his defence. He would always hide his inner feelings with a false smile, but behind this smile you could always see that sadness lingering in his eyes. It was something that was evident in those brown orbs as Clementine looked into them now.

"I am worrying about you Luke, I want to help you, like you helped me" She told him curtly as his eyes seemed to pop out of his head and he muttered "Nah, Clem... look it means a lot... but..."

"But what?" she cut him off, fixating him with a hard stare as he flinched and she continued "Luke, don't keep doing this. Don't keep your problems to yourself, it will only make it worse. Just please... tell me what's a matter. I won't tell anyone if it's bad... I just... care about you and I want to help you" Clementine got from her chest, throwing in a few quotes that she learnt from back in first grade about "friendship" and "trust" however sometimes these simple phrases could be the most effective as Luke inhaled, and looked at his knees.

"I miss him Clem, I never thought I would, but I do" He mumbled sadly as Clementine listened in, already knowing who he was talking about.

"I treated him like crap. He was always trailing me around, like a lost puppy. All I did was kick him back and try to alienate him, when all he could do was sing praises about me. I... was such a dick to him" he rubbed his eyes at this point before speaking on "You know It's funny, that only now that his gone that I realize what a good friend he really was" Luke muttered a fat tear-drop squeezing itself from out of his left eye.

"You don't know if Nick's dead Luke, and you were a good friend to him" Clementine tried to reassure him as he shook his head.

"No, I'm just on about the apocalypse Clem, I treated him like crap years before all this" he took a shaky breath and carried on "With this in mind. I thought it was karma when Carver burned my dad's locket and all my photos of my family. I thought I earned it, that it was the only way to make it up to Nick. By getting rid of my personal objects to save the group and not agree with Bill... but..." he heaved on the spot as he wept rawly and he finally got out, (in a croaky tone) that...

"As Kenny proved, that was just a fuck up too. Now I don't even any trace of my parents to remember them by, I have no parents, no best friend... God I miss them..." he wailed before dissolving into another mass round of sobs. Clementine tried to awkwardly pat his broad back, when he finally calmed down and looked up at Clementine, the 11 year old spoke.

"They'd be proud of you Luke, all of them, you know you don't have to forget about your parents... you could tell me about them" She offered. Luke looked hesitant for a second before he spoke.

"Well my dad... man he used to treasure that locket. Been in our family generations and I was the one to destroy it..." he looked down sadly before Clementine coughed and tried to move the conversation onwards.

"What did they look like?" she asked of him.

He went on describing how he had his father's eyes and hair, and his mother's nose and mouth. He went onto to describe what they liked to wear, their hobbies and all sorts... Clementine paid attention for a while, until Luke's quiet tone (as he spoke on fondly about his parents) drew her into a slumber and before she knew it, she fell asleep on Luke's shoulder.

Luke stopped babbling when he realised that Clementine was snoring lightly on his shoulder, he picked up her small form and placed her gently back onto her bunk. He studied her peaceful face and stroked the strands of her hair beneath her cap, as he bent over her and muttered "Night Clem" before he slowly returned back to his own bunk.

As he lay down and tried to sleep, he realised that chat with Clementine had helped. The fact that Clementine could cry made him grow on her even more. She was a human. A tough little girl, but still a little girl, one that he would now protect with every ounce of his being.

As Luke managed to get some sleep, none of them realized that Rebecca was also lying awake in her bunk. Listening to every word the two of them had been saying, she silently observed them, before they both returned to bed, as they did, so did she. Wiping away a happy tear as she thought about her late husband Alvin, and her baby son Alvin, thinking about family.

She was touched by what she had seen. She had seen family.

She slept, happy in the knowledge Alvin Jr had a family waiting for him, right here in this pen.

* * *

Sarah was jolted awake by the sound something rustling nearby, bolting upwards, her heart hammering on her chest she looked out into the pitch black of the night as _something_ approached. She couldn't breathe...

A raccoon scurried up to her. Sarah's sigh of relief must have shaken the tops of every pine tree in the forest.

"You scared me" she told the raccoon lightly.

The raccoon tilted it's head at her, before it darted back off into the night.

"Wait! Don't go!" she yelled after the raccoon.

It didn't return to her, she sighed sadly once again as she leant back where she could feel Nick's arm around her shoulders, peering at him she could see that he was still out of it. With that raccoon gone she felt very lonely and isolated indeed as she tried to curl herself up into a ball next to Nick and get some sleep.

Her eyes closed but she couldn't sleep, each crack of a twig increased her heart rate. Each hoot of a nearby owl made her gasp, the chirping of nearby crickets and other insects she always heard as gunfire. Her palms began to sweat as the night winds froze her bones, making her shiver...

"Just go to sleep... go to sleep..." she told herself repeatedly but the night was dark and full of invisible terrors. She couldn't hold it back as tears of raw fear fell from her eyes. She was cold, she was hurt and worst of all... she was scared. She needed someone to talk too.

"I wish you were awake Nick" she whispered to his torso, finally accepting that she was unable to sleep. She realised she was now conversing with an unconscious man to keep herself from going crazy in panic. She could have screamed and shook him by the shoulders to wake him up, she reckoned that was what she would have done a few days ago. But now she knew she had to be tough. And this was her "tough".

"I'm trying to be strong here Nick, I don't want to scream to draw walkers nearby... but I guess I'm really weak, aren't I?" she mumbled to his black t-shirt as she continued "I mean why else would dad want to keep me away from walkers? Because I'm weak. Ever since Mum died... he... he just wanted to look after me" she confessed to empty air. Not really sure what sort of force was propelling these words from her lungs. But all these underlying issues were things she felt like she needed to say.

"I never saw Mom die you know? Daddy just said she had gone to heaven and then we ran away from our house. I'm sorry you had to see your Mom die Nick. It must have been hard on you" She told his prone body, after a minute of silence she continued as she found tears fell as they mingled with bad memories.

"Even before all this, other girls were mean too me. They would steal my glasses and call me fat bumble-wee. I know it was silly nickname but it really upset me" she confessed to him as she sobbed ever louder as that nickname (jeered at her by the hateful faces of her peers came back to haunt her) she inhaled sharply before carrying on.

"Daddy didn't let me go to school much after they started being mean to me. I didn't want to hurt anybody, I just wanted to read my books and help people. But... people were mean to me anyway. I don't understand why" she muttered to the sky, as if she expected some mighty higher force to answer her inquiry when nothing happened, she carried on with her thoughts.

"There were some days I got so scared I wanted to stay in bed and cry all day. But I thought I was being strong, by going downstairs or going to school and still being happy. Even if I felt really sad, I'd pretend to be really happy" she sobbed to nothingness.

"That-is-strong" a deep voice muttered next to her in the darkness.

She hadn't known when Nick's eyes had fluttered open, or how much of her thoughts he had heard, but all she knew was that he was now awake.

"I..." she begun.

"It's okay Sarah. I used to be the same" he muttered as she leant in close.

"Really?" she inquired wiping away a tear.

"Really, really" he mused back before he explained "When I was in school, the boys would give me a hard time. I used to be a cry-baby. I'd go home every night to my mom and just... cry" his bright blue eyes were locked on the darkness above him as Sarah said "So... what did you do?"

"What did I do? Well one day I just had enough of it all. I just punched the guy who was pissing me off in the face. After that I got into a lot of fights, it didn't make me feel any better. But I'd go around acting as if it did, as if nothing could bother me, but I know what it's like..." he sighed as he gaze snapped to the sandy bank at his feet.

"In this world, people can only be tough if they save a thousand lives, or have half their stomach ripped open and not bat an eyelid about or. Or be able to say a funny line while killing a thousand assholes. That's tough, people like us, me, who fuck's up everything he touches and you with your..." he paused before he could find the right word "Well... shyness" he finished. When Sarah didn't complain he carried on "Were not tough, were liabilities, were treated like dirt and no one in this world is ever gonna give a damn about what we want" Nick said repeating some of Uncle's last words.

"But that doesn't matter, me and you. Yeah everyone sees us as weak, but just getting up every day and dealing with the kinda shit that gets thrown at us... well it takes a special kind of tough to get through that" he ruffled Sarah's messy hair with his one hand "It's nothing to be ashamed off, hold onto that "toughness" he informed her.

"I suppose that what makes us more human than the bullies or the bandits" Sarah concluded as Nick nodded vigorously.

Nick wasn't one to have these emotional talks, but after one particularly violent fight in his high school years (which he had lost) he went home and cried on his bed for hours. In pain... in frustration... about how "weak" he was. That was until Uncle Pete had come around and gave him that calming speech on what it truly took to have been "tough".

Nick never repeated that speech to anyone. Until now. He realised that he and Sarah shared a very similar problem and he had to help Sarah through this in the same way that his Uncle Pete had helped him through those rough times with his words of wisdom.

Nick inspected his leg, to find Sarah had used far too many bandages on it. However he simply said "Nice job" on his knee which made her smile. They were on the same riverbank and Nick had been out all day and now the next day was nearly dawning.

"We'll go at sunrise, we'll get a quick breakfast and then we'll head back" He informed Sarah as she looked around her.

"I think were a little lost" she said the obvious.

"It doesn't matter, we'll find our way" Nick reassured her and as the sun peered over the horizon, he knew that the moment he would be getting back to the hardware store with Sarah.

And prove all the bullies wrong. And show them all what "tough" really was.


	32. Digging To The Disgusting

**A/N: Okay back to business! I felt kinda down last chapter and that showed in my writing I guess. But this chapter the ass kicking and the complex plans will resume! **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks for the review! and yep I'm still loving your story and as for that PM you sent me (I'll answer it here because I'm lazy) I think Carver's speech was well done and highlighted his control freak tendencies towards his daughter. **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- I fixed those mistakes that you mentioned, yeah here in Britain (keeping it vague) we do use different terms from what you use in america. All in all however thanks for your review and seeing as I'm back on track I do have another discussion point. **

**Do you feel that the writers for Episodes 1 and 2 had a plan for the whole season that got abandoned in episodes 3 and 4? An example of this would be Christa who you can mention in Episodes 1 and 2, but suddenly she doesn't get a mention in Episode 3 and nothing is mentioned of her during the birth scene in Episode 4. Nick, Sarah and Rebecca are characters who each have interesting plot arcs set up for them in episodes 1 and 2. But in Episode 4 they are killed off just to tie up loose ends. I will admit Episode 3 was great, but it had it's flaws. But Episode 4... well I could write a novel on what ticked me off about it (which I think I'm doing with this alternative story)**

**Rebloxic- Thanks! and no it's not Josie Cunningham, it someone else but I'm just going to try and drop that now. It disgusts me too much too think about it. **

**XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Thanks for another review! I agree with you on the whole Sarah thing. It wasn't the fact they killed her off lazily that pissed people off, (regarding that she was fictional character) it was the fact that could have been any 15 year old girl with an anxiety disorder that apparently "deserved to die" because they were a "liability". However on Crawford... I agree that Clementine has to toughen up in Season 2, but she should not become Crawford. Crawford and Howards Hardware were communities that tried to weed out the weak and both fell... because they reaped just what they sowed. Lee was right when teaching Clementine to maintain her morales. **

**devilshomie- A new reviewer! (I love hearing a range of reviews from different people) so thank you for your kind words! I found it disturbing too that many were eager to kill of Sarah, not because she was an annoying character, but because she was the symbol of a "liability" she deserved to die... and the way they killed her off was just too cruel. (Especially on the observation deck, her first death was at least your choice as a player... whereas the second was just downright cruel and stupid) **

**and finally thanks to apathy for your review (it's not showing up for some reason) but I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and that theory about Jane's sister. I can imagine Clementine doing a grim final destination monologue on that. Or a "That's So Raven" where she explains to Jane she had a "vision" and therefore knows her sister's name etc... **

* * *

"OKAY GET THE FUCK UP! ALL OF Y'ALL! YOU'VE ALL GOT A BIG JOB TO BE HANDLING TODAY!"

If Clementine's ears had grown accustomed to morning cuckoo that was Troy. She didn't show it as she angrily rubbed her eyes and leapt from her steel like bunk (she suddenly realised she had dozed off on Luke's shoulder, so Luke must have carried her back to his bunk) she looked over at him. He seemed to have black bags under his eyes but other than that he seemed to wear an easy smile.

Luke easy smile expanded when he looked back at Clementine. Waving at her, she quickly managed to wave back at him before Troy spoke once again.

"Well y'all be glad to know you're being grouped together again today! So all of follow Stan here to your destination!" Troy bellowed as everyone looked around at each other in surprise.

"What do you reckon he has planned now?" Kenny asked of the group in impatience.

"I don't know... but it sounds like were being rounded into a gas chamber" Eddie told the group, as a rat faced Stan bellowed "Well, come on then!" they left a worried looking Rebecca behind as they proceeded into the hardware store. Clementine looked at the group around her.

There was her, Luke, Kenny, Sarita, Jane, Mike, Bonnie, Shel, Stephanie, Vince, Eddie and Wyatt. She counted up everybody and realised that 12 of them. A dozen of them were being instructed to do a single task.

What task could require a workforce that was that big?

She soon found out.

To their increasing anxiety the group were led out of the nearby hanger door and out into the open battlefield of the flat car park, Tavia and Carver stood waiting for them near to (what Clementine could see) was a crudely drawn line in chalk that stretched around the entire hardware store. Behind them she could see that the sulky young man (Russell) along with 11 others. Each of them seemed to train their rifle on each one of the pen dwellers. Clementine realised that badly shaven man from the other day had his rifle trained on her.

So much for making an impression.

She sighed as Carver turned to face his prisoners.

"So you're probably wondering what's going on out here folks" he mused to them as he pointed down at the line that was drawn in chalk that was spread across the stony gravel.

"You see folks this line here, is where I want you to start digging trenches" he told them as he pointed to the ground below his feet.

"You want us to dig a trench the whole way around the damn store?" Mike asked in disbelief, as Carver flashed him an evil smile.

"That's exactly what I want you to be doing, and you'll be lugging out the extra dirt over by the treeline so the walkers will have another obstacle to face before they can even think about getting to this store..." he stood as impressive as ever over his brainwashed followers as he continued his speech.

"With this trench the walkers will fall in. They can't climb back up so we can dispose of them when the bodies build up" Carver informed everyone. Even Clementine had to agree that this was a somewhat clever idea, yet just because of Carver was "clever" that did not give anyone an excuse to gaze at him in awe... as if he was Jesus Christ reborn. Tavia, Troy, Stan and a couple of guards behind Clem's group were giving Carver this look of admiration that ticked Clementine off.

"Yeah the problem is with this Bill... is that digging makes a lot of noise" Luke decided to point as Carver's hairy eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"Well that's why these guys...!" he jabbed his index finger at the guards behind Clementine's group "Are too shoot any approaching walkers while you get to work!" he shouted in anger as he turned on his heel and (how Clementine had failed to notice it before, she didn't know) but gestured at a trolley full of pick-axe's.

"You'll use these to dig through the gravel and I expect these trenches to be deep! Understood!?" he growled at the pen dwellers.

No one responded, but Carver took their silence as a valid "Yes".

"Good, now get to it, anyone seen lacking will be shot" and with this cold reminder he, Tavia, Troy and Stan proceeded back into the safety of the hardware store. Shutting the nearest hanger door behind them, with a dreaded clunk, that made Clementine a lot more wary of the treeline in front of her.

"Alright get to work!" The bad shaven man behind Clementine roared at the pen dwellers, Kenny was one of the first to place his chunky fingers around the hilt of a pickaxe as he eyed it dangerously...

Sarita placed a calming hand on his shoulder. Knowing exactly what he was thinking, looking back at her worried face. Kenny calmed down and released his rage with a deflating sigh as Sarita picked up an pickaxe from next to him. As the guards instructed them on where to start digging, along the marked line of chalk. Clementine picked up her own pickaxe and twirled it in her fingers before she was instructed to stand between Luke and Jane.

"Okay, start digging!" A croaky male voice instructed of them as pickaxe's where swung onto the gravel with full force. Some penetrated the thick concrete of the car park while others (like Clementine's) merely bounced off the hard surface.

"Damn it" she uttered. Trying hard not to feel envious of Luke and Jane next to her who were already cutting through the thick layers of tarmac with their pickaxes. Raising her arms high above her head, she inhaled and brought down the pickaxe with all her force. But to her dismay it once again simply bounced off the concrete.

"Shit..." she gasped. She hardly ever swore, but in dire situations curses escaped from her lips. Wiping a sheen of sweat from her forehead and trying to soothe her already aching arms, she prepared to strike the ground a third time before a voice stopped her.

"Hey Kid, you're doing it wrong" Jane informed her, as she had been observing the 11 year old's struggle.

"How am I?" she asked the older woman, somewhat annoyed.

"You're placing both your hands at the end of the hilt, spread them out a bit it will give you more balance and strength when you swing that thing" Jane instructed, showing Clementine how she held her own pickaxe. Clementine copied her example as the pickaxe now felt a little heavier in her fingers. Regardless she swung the thing down the ground and surprised herself when it managed to leave a small indent in the concrete.

"There you go kid" Jane told her happily, as she resumed her work. Yet as Clementine got the gist of how to dig through this hard layer of earth, she heard Eddie mutter from down the line...

"It's just like on TV when they have inmates cutting away at stones... we might as well be in shackles..."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND CARRY ON!" Was the lovely reply Eddie got. Shooting the man who bellowed that at him an angry glare Eddie bent his head and returned to chip away at the earth. Clementine realised that the badly shaven man that she didn't know the name of seemed to be lingering around her, like a bad odour she couldn't get rid of. When he finally walked off in another direction Jane spoke up once again.

"You know you remind me of my sister, I had to teach her how to do all this shit too" Jane explained to her as sweat trickled down her forehead at the physical extent of the task they had been set.

"Your sister?" Clementine asked, already knowing all of the answers but it was nice to see Jane opening up to her once again.

"Yeah, Jamie. She was a little older than you. But hell, it was great being a big sister. Even if you stick chewing gum in each other's hair and give them each other silly haircuts" she was smiling now as she reminisced on times with her sister that were long gone.

"I never had a sister" Clementine told Jane sadly.

"You'd have liked one. We used to fight all of the time, but we loved each other deep down" she mused sadly as she continued to hack away at the ground in front of her. Reaching the soft soil beneath the concrete she allowed herself a breather and using this Clementine spoke up.

"Why are you telling me all this?" She asked as Jane looked down at her.

"Well... honestly when I first saw you, I thought you survived because you were just sheltered like the other girl, but then you started making deals with Carver and saving people left, right and centre... and..." she paused as the badly shaven man swept past them once again. He wondered off as a gunshot rang through the air as a lone walker had been dealt with. With the attention now on the treeline Jane finished her sentence.

"... and... It made me think. If only I could save my sister in the same way you saved people. For the first time since she died... I'm actually starting to _believe_ we can make a community here. One that can work. I'm telling you this Clementine, because I don't want you to give up, on what you started" Jane explained. Clementine had to hide her flush her pride. Last time Jane had all been for cutting off "liabilities" to survive, but now Clementine could see that the mass group she had helped to gather had changed Jane's perspective.

"I mean... this group wouldn't last a minute out there. They'd crack, I've seen plenty of groups fall apart like that" she continued to tell Clementine as a second gunshot rang through the air, however Jane continued "But... the group here has an aim. A purpose. If we can kill that crazy fuck Carver and his lapdogs then this can be a community we can all survive in for a long time" Jane mused as she looked back at the community before adding her concluding note to Clementine.

"And the best part is... were building it. Not Carver"

Clementine couldn't help but smile at this, as she continued to chip away small chunks of concrete and push them to the surface, she managed to ask (between gasps as she was getting tired) "Yeah... you've got a point. But what happened to your sister?" she asked of Jane. Although she already knew the answer she wanted to see how Jane would phrase it too her this time.

Jane sighed sadly and told her story the same way she had told it last time. How she had to leave Jamie behind on a roof and how she realized that she was dragging Jamie through a hell _"She no longer wanted to be dragged through" _she finished her tale as she muttered "Sometimes I think it's for the best, the fact is... some people can't be saved. But you guys can." she concluded as she dragged her pickaxe through the soil.

For a moment there was silence, before Luke spoke up from next to Clementine.

"You left your sister?" he asked appalled, no doubt he had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation, from where he was silently slaving away. Jane looked up at him before answering.

"I had too. I'm not happy with what I did, but in the end, I guess it was the kindest thing for her" Jane uttered as she continued to work away.

Luke continued to gaze at Jane, a soft look spreading over his face as Clementine knew (with future knowledge) that this is what a look of attraction was. She was surprised on how she failed to notice it before, because it was obvious now. The way he never blinked... the way he seemed to stare on, she actually coughed to draw his attention away. Alarmed he looked down at Clementine before he continued with his work.

"I'm... s-sorry about your loss Jane. I didn't mean anything bad behind it, It must have been hard for you" Luke told her. Clementine had to resist from rolling her eyes. So this was Luke's way of "sweet talking" a girl? Despite his somewhat corny words making Clementine cringe, Jane looked up at him warmly.

"Thanks, I know you never knew her... but..." she trailed off awkwardly into silence. Clementine could only pray, that she wasn't going to find the pair "kissing" in a closet, when they finally rebelled against Carver. Or when they were needed... either way Clementine continued to dig on...

Hours passed. The physical work was exhausting, as the guards continued to shoot at the growing amount of walkers that were emerging from the woods at the noises of the digging and the pickaxe's hitting the ground and Shel of all people could be muttering "Well what's a better way to draw _even more_ walkers to this place then shooting them?" she asked of Stephanie next to her. Yet her words had somehow, carried to the whole group.

"Stop moaning and keep digging!" a woman snapped at Shel. If looks could kill, that woman would be dead, because hatred poured from Shel's obsidian black rocks of eyes. In fact Clementine knew that ever since Becca had died, Shel's eyes had always hardened with hatred at the sight of the guards or Carver himself.

"If someone shot Jamie, like the way they killed Shel's little sister I would go on a killing spree" Jane told Clementine. Only at this did Clementine realise she was staring at Shel. She couldn't help it, Shel was a kind and level headed woman. But it intrigued her to see her act so silent towards Carver and his guards. No doubt the silent rage bubbled beneath her skin and Clementine was curious (but also slightly worried) about what sort of revenge Shel was planning.

Other than that, the hours just seemed to drag on. Clementine's arms felt like dumbells as they joined their holes together to form (what was finally starting to look like) some sort of trench. Mike and Bonnie were responsible for dumping the majority of the spare soil by the treeline. Clementine wasn't sure who would give into exhaustion first. However that was answered when Wyatt finally needed to take a short break. Followed (oddly enough) by Stephanie who Clementine saw as one of the youngest and most active people here.

Kenny, Sarita and Bonnie seemed to need a break at the same time. Clementine was wondering who was going to give in next, getting slightly ahead of herself, as her pride took over. She may have been a little girl but she felt a strange urge to overcome everyone here and be the last one standing! She fought through her fatigue... but she finally accepted that she would need a break. Just Eddie took a break, she herself gestured to have one...

"AHHHHH! GOD NO! NO! NO...!"

BANG!

Clementine froze, as another couple of gunshots rang through the air. Everyone who was still working looked up at the commotion as Clementine jogged towards it.

One of the female guards (the one who snapped at Shel) was lying dead on the ground. Two walkers lay dead next to her. Clementine could see that the woman had been shot in the head, but could also see a large bite mark on her neck...

"RUSSELL WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" The badly shaven man screamed at the younger black man.

"She was bitten on the neck! I had to do it!" Russell snapped back.

"How the hell did they sneak up on us?" another female guard asked in awe.

"Oh shit... guys!" Another guard yelled, he pointed to the east and Clementine knew why. Her heart sunk in her chest as she saw a mass herd of walkers approaching them from the east stumbling forward.

"FUCK! HOW COME WE DIDN'T HEAR THEM!?" One guard screamed, losing his head completely he fired into the herd, yet in his panic, many of his bullets missed their brains.

"I thought Tavia was supposed to be watching us from the roof! And warning us about approaching herds!" Russell began looking at his gun and then looking at the herd ahead of him.

"Russell, I told you. Bill doesn't care. He sent us out here to hopefully die. His using us as slave labour. Can't you see that already!" Vince bellowed to him, as Russell's eyes narrowed to silts.

"This was just an mishap Vince. I'm sure Bill knew..." Russell began.

"Oh shit! Guys, more walkers coming from all sides!" Wyatt informed the group as he slowly began to back away to the hanger door. One guard pointed his gun at the blonde man "Where the fuck do you think you're going!?" he growled at Wyatt.

"Well... away from the giant ass herd so I don't get eaten" Wyatt responded in a sarcastic tone.

"Get back to your post!" The guard screamed.

"That's nuts! We'll get eaten if we stay here!" Mike shouted, as he killed a nearby walker by slicing at his skull with his pickaxe.

"Russell" Vince began in a calmer tone "Bill didn't give you the ammo to deal with this herd and he and his lapdogs ditched you out here" he took a deep breath before he bellowed "SO SEE SOME FUCKING SENSE! AND GET US ALL THE FUCK BACK INSIDE!"

Russell seemed to blink rapidly, he turned back to the herd and then looked at his gun. With a pained sigh he weighed up his options as anger coursed through his veins.

Why hadn't Tavia been on lookout? Had he truly been ditched and left to die?

The walkers were getting closer...

"Let's go then!" Russell finally snapped, as Vince smiled as Wyatt lead the way, bolting back towards the hanger door. The rest of the pen group were hot on his heels, but the rest of the guards weren't as quick to see the danger. The one panicked guard who was shooting at the walkers, soon found himself surrounded as he lost his cool completely...

"AH! HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!" He begged as tears began to fall from his eyes. As he desperately tried to bat away the walkers with the butt of his gun, Clementine started to run forward, to help him in any way possible, but Jane placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't. He can't be saved. Don't let him drag you down with him" She told Clementine sadly, Clementine stood rigid as she watched the man slowly get devoured as his dying screams for his loved one's made Clementine clench her eyes shut. However she could hear more and more walkers approaching and she turned on her heel and followed Jane to the closed hanger door.

"SOMEBODY OPEN UP!" Russell roared to the thing as he used his fist to pound on the thing... and yet no one responded.

The badly shaven man continued to shoot at the approaching herd. Clementine saw the other guards get cut off from the core group. As they stood still trying to defend the group, by the time they realised they were surrounded... it was too late. More death howls filled the air as Clementine ran towards the hanger door.

She noticed the badly shaven man stumble on his feet, as a walker lunged for him. Falling to the floor, he yelped in panic as a walker prepared to feast on his neck...

"NO!" Clementine shouted running towards the man before Jane could stop her. She stood over the rotting walker and used her pickaxe to impale it's skull as it went slack. The man pushed the walker off himself and stared up at Clementine with wide eyes.

"GO!" She roared at him. The pale and shaken man didn't even hesitate as he shot off like a bullet towards the hanger door. Clementine followed him to find Jane glaring at her. "Dammit Clementine, you could have died saving that asshole!" she exclaimed in frustration towards the younger girl.

"I couldn't just let him die Jane! He could help us in the near future!" she argued back as the herd began to get closer.

"DAMMIT SOMEONE OPEN UP!" Russell shouted, panicking openly now.

"Looks like we might have to try my method" Jane told the group, preparing her pickaxe, but before she could slice into any zombie, the hanger door ("AT LONG FUCKING LAST!") as Russell phrased it, clanked open.

Everyone was inside in a heartbeat squeezing under the hanger door as the rat faced Stan held open for them. When the final person (Jane) entered he shut the door with a grunt.

"What's going on!?" Carver asked approaching the scene with an angry look on his face, upon seeing the every member of the pen group on the floor and only three guards (Russell, the badly shaven man and another woman) surrounding them. He demanded an explanation.

And boy did Russell give him one.

"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU BILL! WHERE WERE THE GUARDS ON THE ROOF!? A FUCKING MASSIVE HERD SNUCK UP ON US AND KILLED 9 OF US!" Russell screamed at Carver. Whose face twisted into that of an easy smile.

"Really? A herd?" he asked.

"YES BILL! A FUCKING HERD! RIGHT OUT THERE! AS OUR LEADER, SHOULDN'T YOU BE THE FIRST TO KNOW!?" Russell demanded of Carver who simply sighed and muttered "Stan, get them back into the pen until this herd passes. Then we can get them back to work on the trenches" Carver's bored tone, ticked off Russell, 9 people had just died. 9 people! 9 people were were loyal to him!

"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU BILL!?" Russell screamed. He received his answer a few seconds later as Tavia approached the group peeling some of her clothes back on.

"I had business to attend too" Bill stretched, before (making a very clear gesture) of zipping up his open fly. Russell was too appalled to speak.

"Now I need to get back to business, so keep quiet and wait for the herd to pass" Carver instructed as he walked off.

As Stan began to lead the others back to the pen, Russell turned to a waiting Vince "I'm in" was all he said. He didn't agree with stupid rebellions, but he didn't agree with stupid community's either. Bill was wary of the pen group no doubt, but that give him no excuse to murder a group of guards , who weren't thrilled with the status quo. But not rebellious against it either.

Bill had left them to get his dick wet. Whether Russell wanted too or not, he knew Carver was keeping his favourites close to his chest and outing those he was uncertain of.

"Glad you saw sense man" Vince told him proudly patting his shoulder as he was led off, leaving Russell with the other two guards. The badly shaven man uttered a quick "Thanks" to Clementine as they were being ushered away. The second the pen door had closed, Clementine had stated the obvious.

"We have three new allies" she stated.

Kenny was smiling "After hearing about this fuck up, I think the community here are finally gonna be ready to fight back against that crazy fuck!" he seemed excited about the prospect, which worried Clementine slightly. But it seemed that (at long last) they had a new aim and new allies.

"What the hell happened out there?" Rebecca asked sitting up in her bed, eager for news. Stan had taken their pickaxe's from them, but Eddie pulled one out from... private areas as he smiled and turned to Rebecca as he lifted the pickaxe into the air "The rebellion is officially about to begin!" he exclaimed as Shel and Sarita provided her with a run through of events.

"Man, Bill has really screwed up" Luke commented to Jane.

"I can sum up Carver in one word after seeing that" Jane responded.

"What would that be?" Luke asked.

"Eurgh"

Eurgh indeed.


	33. They Were Whispers and I Was Afraid

**A/N: Okay had a bit of a crisis as reviews weren't showing up, but there back now and I'm ready to continue this story. Nearly at 200 reviews, if I actually get to 200 reviews it will make my day indeed. (I'm a review whore, but I love the fact that most of you guys are giving me long, detailed reviews rather than just the token "bubblegum" reviews, I can't thank you all enough!) **

**apathy- Thanks for your words, the irony behind last chapter was so Luke and Jane could see that having sex at the wrong time lead to grave consequences. I can imagine Carver's actions with Tavia were down to two reasons A) To relive the stress of being leader and B) To provide him with his "next generation" that he spoke so dearly of. But it also shows his growing insanity and desperate struggle for power. Hence this creates a poor leader. I will expand on this as the chapters go on. **

**Martial Arts Master- Yep Eurgh indeed. and you can PM me a long review, hell I'm always up for discussing these topics. **

**NN009- Now a psycho who can't keep it in his pants. **

**devilshomie- I agree with you on the shock factor on episodes 3 and 4, while episode 3 had some badass moments however. Episode 4's shocks and deaths didn't rouse any reaction in me at all. Other than make me feel down and not really care about what came next. However I'm glad you like Jane in this story (she was a challenge to write, as I didn't want to make her too cold, but not too out of character) **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks your review and I agree with the points you made, and I can imagine Clementine signing the "That's So Raven" song "It's the future I can see..." **

**Anyway discussion time. If you could choose one Cannon character to return who would it be? (other than Christa as she would be an obvious choice or the cancer survivors who I reckon are dead at this point) You can choose from Molly, Lilly, Justin, Nate, Leland etc... and any others I missed out. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thank you and still loving your story. as for the badly shaven man I decided not to give him a name as of yet. As it shows how even the faceless, nameless guards are starting to rise against Carver. **

**Rebloxic- Thanks and about Arvo. He feels like a Russian Ben to me. I hated his guts until we saw that he wanted to stop the shoot-out when they had a baby. All in all an interesting character and I hope he isn't instantly killed off at the start of episode 5. But then again Telltale wasted Nick and Sarah, so they'll probably waste Arvo too...**

**BlackGalaxyStars- Thanks! I enjoy writing the Nick/Sarah scenes and I'm glad you enjoy them. **

**and finally K. Lynn Perks thank you for your reviews and continued support! **

* * *

"You got your things?"

"Yeah, you keep asking me that, I can handle myself"

"I'm just checking Sarah"

Nick and Sarah continued to slowly walk along the small footpath that cut through the dense vegetation and large pine trees that littered the rural north Carolinian forest. By gazing at a rusted car park licence, Nick had concluded that they were indeed in North Carolina and not Tennessee where Howard's Hardware was located.

"Were a state away!" Sarah exclaimed in a panic when Nick told her the news.

"The hardware store's right by the state border. Trust me, were miles away at most" he reassured her. As Sarah calmed down slightly, for a second thinking they would have to walk thousands of miles, just because they were now in a different state. However the illusion of states soon faded, there were no real borders anymore. Everywhere they went, the dead roamed the land.

"You know we've been all around? When we got to the ski lodge we were in Virginia" Nick informed Sarah who felt like her eyes had been opened for the first time.

"Really? How far did we walk?" She asked as Nick shook his head "I have no idea... I wasn't really..." he paused as memories of Pete's death came flooding back, with a sigh he continued "I wasn't really paying attention, but I remember that map Luke had, showing that were heading towards the Blue ridge mountains in Virginia, which is just north of us" He said as he hopped over a small log, he helped Sarah over the moss covered thing, as they continued onwards.

"I never knew we travelled that far. That's crazy" Sarah told him as she looked ahead into the dense shrubs of green and yellowing vegetation.

Nick grunted in reply as Sarah threw the next question at him.

"So... if were in North Carolina now... How do we know which way were going?" she asked of him.

"It's easy, we follow the river back upstream, I can tell the general direction back. We're just staying in the woods for now to avoid being out in the open. You... understand that?" he asked of her, as she nodded, but as she did, her head slowly stopped shaking as she glared up at Nick.

"What do you mean by, Do _You_ understand that?" she inquired placing an emphasises on the word "You" as Nick's eyes rested on anywhere other than her as he awkwardly muttered... "Well... you know..." he began unable to find the words.

"I know what?" she asked again, growing annoyed. She thought Nick had increased respect for her, but for now he clearly had an issue.

"Well... Look Sarah" he began his voice straight as he blurted out the harsh truth "For a girl that doesn't even know which state she's in, when the rest of the group do. Look... Carlos sheltered you too much and it's made you a little... unaware of things around you, and... delicate" he finished lamely, as Sarah's face crumpled in rage.

"Are you saying I'm just some dumb kid? After everything we've been through, even though I've learnt to shoot walkers!?" she whined at him, as he felt his temper flare.

"I'm not saying that! I'm saying, regardless of what you've done, you still need protecting Sarah!" He snapped.

"I didn't ask my dad not to tell me anything!" She shouted in rage.

"Well I didn't see you doing anything about it!" He snapped back, only when Sarah flinched and froze on the spot, did Nick realise that he had gone too far. He turned back and felt his anger leave his system almost instantly, as a familiar feeling of guilt entered his system.

"I... didn't mean that" he told her weakly after a minute or two of silence.

"I... I wanted Clementine to t-teach me to shoot... but y-you're right, I should have..." Sarah began as she began to tear up as Nick bent down (on his good knee)

"No, don't say that Sarah. I was just being a big, angry, Idiot like always. Okay? Sarah?" he begged of her to respond,hoping his words hadn't caused to much damage. In all truth his shoulder and (despite Sarah doing a great job patching it up) his knee, were still aching, this constant pain, added to the freezing gales that funnelled through the brown stems of the pine trees...this led to him being very grumpy that day.

Yet his outburst at Sarah was still uncalled for. Yet Sarah could see, by the longing look of regret in his deep blue iris', that he truly regretted what he said.

"It's okay, I know it's tough out here. It makes people act different" she told him as he smiled and stood back up.

"Thanks, for understanding. But I still shouldn't have said that too you. I know you're trying your best" he reassured her as they continued to move through the woods, as Sarah trailed after the tall man. She had a dozen more questions she wanted to ask him, but feared he could snap if she kept on probing him and decided to leave him to his thoughts for a little while, so he could calm down.

They travelled on in silence, Sarah carrying the heavy bag of meds in her right hand, as she felt the increasingly dense vegetation brush across her trousers. Eventually the footpath became a swarm of nettles. Usually Sarah would have screamed in fear for her father,in fear of being stung by these nettles. However she was still in a daze about the horrors she had come across. Henceforth she trampled on the plants without really thinking about it. At the end of the day, plants were plants.

They weren't walkers, or bandits.

As they proceeded onwards Sarah couldn't help but think about Nick's words. As much as he regretted them, she knew now (with a final certainty) that she had been too sheltered. She knew her dad never told her anything, but she didn't know the world was this bad, filled with death and horrors around every corner as she slowly but surely fought through every horror thrown her way.

It wasn't easy, she still cried a lot.

But she was advancing.

In front of her Nick was thinking about the lack of weapons they had. He had left his rifle back at the trailer park and between them, he and Sarah had two empty guns. He still had his glass shard (which was slowly cracking). Their food and canteen's were running low and they had used the last of their meds on his knee. Although they had a bag full of meds, Nick and Sarah agreed not to touch them (unless the situation was urgent) as they needed these meds to get back into the hardware store.

_If_ Carver abided by his promise.

Nick sighed, before he saw an opening in the nearby trees, curious he jogged forward slightly as his eyes rested upon a wrecked camp site.

"Reckon there's anybody around?" Sarah asked coming up next to him, as she squinted at the torn red tent in caution. Expecting some maniac to come crashing out of it. After three uneventful seconds she concluded that this wasn't going to happen.

"No, seems pretty empty to me. Let's have a look around and see what we can find" Nick said, as he proceeded towards the lone vehicle on the site. Peering inside the dusty blue thing, his hands fumbled inside a cardboard box, containing nothing but toys. He picked up one of a green woman and twirled it in his fingers.

"Hey Sarah, there's a load of toys here!" Nick shouted to her, as the teenager approached, Nick handed her the action figure of the green woman, as she seemingly gazed at in boredom.

"I'm not that young Nick and this is missing an arm" she said dropping it back into the box, with a disappointed clutter.

"Well, I'll see if I can find a book then" Nick told her, as Sarah's face lit up. He knew she liked to read.

As he explored the depths of the small vehicle, that was slowly being buried in vegetation. Sarah nervously crept into the torn red tent, the whole thing was bare, no sleeping bags, no toys, nothing... just torn strands of crimson fabric still standing on crudely crushed and bent metal poles. Hardly a tent at all.

"The tent's empty!" She shouted to inform Nick, who simply instructed back "Try looking somewhere else!"

Sarah took a quick look in a bin in the middle of the camp but found nothing. She wondered over to a small tree, to find the corpse of a man tied to it. A clear indent in his head. No doubt this man had turned and somebody had dealt with him. Rather than scream, Sarah could only stare at the corpse, the smell was horrible but she found herself able to cope with the sight of dead bodies. She was willing herself to keep looking at it, to prove to herself she was tough. That she could handle it. That she would not flinch as the flies that buzzed around his body.

As Sarah did that, Nick pulled out of the small vehicle. His quest at finding something was unsuccessful, he turned to face the ground to find a few specks of dried blood on the floor. Slightly curious he followed the blood trail and peered over a small branch.

And he saw it.

"Hey Sarah, come over here!" he exclaimed, as the teenager tore her gaze from the man's body and slowly walked towards Nick.

"There's just some dead guy back at there, no supplies" she informed him, yet Nick didn't seem to hear her.

"You know how Clementine said she was bitten by a dog?" Nick asked, his eyes trained directly ahead of him.

Sarah nodded.

"Well I think I just found it"

Sarah followed his gaze, to find the carcass of a skinny dog, that lay impaled on some tent spikes. Her eyes followed the trail of blood leading to the spot and there was no doubt that somebody had been attacked by this dog and it only added up that this one person could indeed be Clementine.

"That was cute dog" was all Sarah could say. Nick took note of the "was", because now it was decomposing lump, with a black swarm of flies feasting on his flesh. Covering his nose Nick moved towards the dog.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked in confusion.

"I want evidence that we were here, think of it as a souvenir" he stated as he reached forward and slowly but surely removed the dog's collar from it's rotting neck. Holding the damp collar up, Sarah nearly retched at the smell.

"Eurgh, Gross" she whimpered.

"It was called Sam apparently, we'll show this to Clem when we get back. See if it's the same dog" Nick commented, wiping the grime from the collar on his trousers, he pocketed it to Sarah's horror. Nick gazed at Sarah to see her shooting him this wide eyed look.

"What?" he finally asked with a light smile.

"You're... going to take that with you? Really?" she inquired.

"Yeah"

Sarah continued to gaze at him in a mild horror, before she finally uttered "You're weird"

"I know" he replied lightly.

They couldn't help but smile at each other after this, as Sarah also muttered "I guess were both weird"

However (as always when things got too light) a rugged shout in the distance ruined this happy moment, people were approaching and they were approaching _fast. _

"Shit! Get down!" he hissed, dragging himself and Sarah into a bush, ignoring the twigs that scratched at his face. He and Sarah lay flat on their bellies just as they emerged from the treeline.

"POMOGITE!" A man screamed in fear as he was thrown to the floor roughly, he barely had any time to get back up before more figures emerged from the woods.

A lot more figures, Nick watched open mouthed as 30 to 40 odd people surrounded the man on the floor. Nick watched as other people were thrown to the floor next to him, all whimpering words in fear and judging by their accents...

"Their part of the Russian group!" Sarah whispered.

Through the legs of the others, Nick counted exactly five of the Russians whimpering on the floor, in the face of this larger, more intimidating group. Who formed a cult like circle around the five terrified souls, Nick knew there were more of the Russian group then this, so whoever these people were. It looked like they had been "caught".

Nick could only see the backs of these masses, but one stepped forward, allowing Nick and Sarah a quick glimpse of his face. Nick had to use his hand to cover Sarah's horrified gasp.

_As a walker spoke._

"Do you accept that God has filled the world with dead in order to punish us for our sins?" the walker asked of the terrified Russians.

"My vas ne ponimayu!" My vas ne ponimayu!" a woman sobbed at them.

"There is the problem of the language barrier sir" another walker said from beside him.

"Alas, I doubt they would accept the faith anyway"

Nick had to blink. He had to pinch himself, he had was tempted to cut himself. To see if the pain was real. To see if this was real. Walkers were speaking. Walkers were speaking. "Walkers were speaking" no matter how many times he tried to repeat that in his head, it didn't familiarise with him. Walkers were moving corpses, who grunted and moaned and wondered aimlessly. They didn't suddenly start talking and start forming crazy religious cults... Nick tried peering at them closer to gain an answer...

"We have to kill those who don't accept the faith sir" another walker said. Nick watched the walkers mouth and discovered it was a light peachy shade that contrasted with the decomposing black of his face. In fact the walkers eyes that had just spoken were green and not the usually soulless white that walkers possessed. They all stood straight and rigid, that was not a walker's posture. In fact the closer he looked, the more horrified he became.

"Their not walkers Sarah" he whispered to the terrified girl, removing his palm from her mouth, she tried to control her fast breathing as she barely managed to ask through her growing panic...

"Then what are they?"

Nick gulped. Saying this wasn't going to make it any easier on her. But he would rather she see the truth. Than see the illusion that walkers were indeed talking.

"Their people. People who are wearing body bags of walkers" his statement sounded strange to say. But now he could clearly see where the crudely cut holes in the skin, that had been craved out with jagged knives.

"Then... these people are wearing walker skins?"

Nick nodded, almost wishing it was just walkers now that were speaking. When Sarah managed to gasp to as of "Why?" they were doing this, he could only come up with one logical answer.

"I think... it's like Jane's walker guts idea. But these guys have taken it to the next level" he uttered.

Sarah was hyperventilating once again, as she clung to him. Nick had to hold onto her tight and cover her mouth again, trying hard to be as silent as possible. They were well hidden under these piles of thick leaves, but Nick was wary that even if he breathed too loud, this "herd" would be upon him.

"They probably think we're crazy. Like the last people we dealt with" A female walker... well "Wannabe Walker" as Nick nicknamed them said.

"They weren't the only ones" Nick thought to himself.

"Then let's finish this and head back to camp" the man with the deep voice concluded, despite the fact they were wearing walkers skins. They must have stored guns somewhere, as a dozen of them trained their guns on the 5 Russians and before Nick could even brace himself, they opened fire.

The Russians died screaming, one woman tried to get up and run, but she was torn to pieces in a mere second. droplets of her blood found their way onto Nick's face. Nick jolted slightly when they were shot and Sarah may as well have been digging into his guts, as her nails were digging that far into his skin, never the less she managed to remain quiet.

The Russians lay dead on the ground.

"Full of holes" Uncle Pete's words came back to haunt Nick. As his mind suddenly flashed back to the scene at the river, he always assumed that was Carver's group that had shot all those people. But seeing this... he now knew the real culprits.

Why had they feared Carver so much? Carver was a single man with 40 people at his disposable. A psychopath yes, but one who had a well defended store.

These people were 40 psychopaths were who dressing as walkers and murdering anyone who refused to join them. From what they had said about "getting back to camp" it seemed like they were many more of them. William Carver suddenly went from the biggest fish in the pond. To a plankton in the ocean.

"Let's get going, business is done here. They would have refused our path anyway" the man with the deep voice said as the group of cultists followed after him, as they silently dispersed into the dark woods. Nick didn't get up from his hiding spot, wary that more of them were watching. But finally when he was certain every single was still and nothing was watching, he and Sarah slowly got to their (shaky) feet.

"Do you reckon they'll come back?" Sarah asked, her lip quivering.

"Maybe, we better get moving" Nick told her, wiping the woman's blood from his face, trying hard not to look down at the bodies at his feet he proceeded to walk in the opposite direction that the cult had come from.

"I thought the bandits were scary and crazy... but those people..." Sarah began, checking over her shoulder as she followed Nick, her meds still locked in her palm, Nick was amazed she had managed to sneak them into the bush as well, but these meds were their lifeline as of now. Considering they were low on weapons.

Then again with that group... weapons would be useless anyhow.

"They are absolutely mother-fucking crazy, if we see them again, don't look back Sarah. Even if I get caught, just keep running" he chillingly instructed her. Although it was hard, she managed to nod as the woods grew more dark and dense around them.

Nick was busy thinking about all the threats in the death trap of this forest. They had the russians who were typical bandit group, along with trailer park bandits. However these 2 bandit groups were now (most likely) being hunted down by this larger, crazier cult of people. In a nutshell the woods were not a safe place at all.

When he got back to the hardware store, he would convince the others that maybe escaping from the place again, wasn't a good idea.

It was only then did he realize that he knew _these_ woods, he had walked here several times. He gasped as Sarah looked up.

"What now?" she asked.

"I know where we are, were by the cabin" Nick told her, as this brought a mixed response from her, it would bring back good and bad memories to return to the cabin. Yet she hoped it was intact, during the rush to leave the cabin last time, she had left a lot of things behind.

"Then let's get there, at least we'd have somewhere to sleep tonight" she mused, as she eagerly followed Nick towards a place she could consider home.

They carried on, as evening descended. Looking for the beacon that was the cabin, they needed a place of shelter.

In this cold world.

* * *

The herd took an awfully long time to disperse from around the hardware store, so much so by the time the last walker had vanished back into the tree-line it was already late into the evening.

"Consider yourself lucky" Carver spat at them through the shutter, as he told them that they would have the rest of the day off. The pen gave a collective sigh of relief at this news. The work had been exhausting and add that to the close call today, the pen dwellers simply lay back and tried to earn a few extra hours of sleep.

Clementine wasn't.

Stephanie had managed to smuggle a few markers and pieces of paper into the pen, namely for Clementine to draw on. But Eddie and Wyatt had started drawing hideous self portraits of themselves to pass the time. However Clementine managed to retain a few blank pages and was finishing her sketch when Bonnie walked over.

"Aw... that's adorable sweetie" she told Clementine as she finished the drawing.

"Do you reckon he'll like it?" She asked of Bonnie, looking up to where Luke was lying, (gazing absently) to the bunk above him.

"He'll love it, and Jane's got that the other thing. I think this will really help him" She, (along with Bonnie, Jane and Stephanie) had managed to prepare a pleasant surprise for Luke. In the scarp-heap Stephanie had managed to smuggle something else other than paper and markers too the group.

However before Clementine could go over to the group, a hiss from the shutter stopped her, as she turned to face it "Hey... little girl... go get Vince" the young man Russell hissed to her. Instantly she ran over to where Vince was sitting by Kenny around the fire.

"Vince" she said pointing at the shutter. Vince's eyes narrowed before he spotted Russell. He quickly jogged over to the shutter as Kenny followed him. Everyone else was sitting around the fire, awaiting the news. Russell turned away and headed back into the store, as Vince and Kenny returned to their seats.

"Well?" Sarita asked.

"He says some of the guards will distract Carver. He'll come and bust us out of the pen and we'll run to armoury and grab our weapons! and bam! It's an uprising!" Kenny told them all, with a excited glee behind his words.

"Tonight?" Rebecca asked, her jaw dropping.

"Yep, tonight" Vince confirmed.

"This is too risky, Carver's guards will gun us down" Rebecca informed them.

"We either go out with a blaze of glory, or sit here dying like dogs and I think I know what I'd prefer" Kenny said, as the rest of the group nodded in agreement. Clementine knew this would be dangerous and she expected that at least somebody would die. But there was the chance this rebellion would succeed, although Carver still had a dozen heavily armed guards. The guards distracting Carver would die without a shadow of a doubt.

And then... it would be an open gunfight.

She didn't like this. She didn't know if tonight was the night.

_She had a bad feeling about this. _


	34. The Daddy

**A/N: On this story goes! 200 REVIEWS! WOO! I'm buzzing, thanks for everyone who has reviewed so far! **

**Maximo and Lockdown thanks for your reviews and as for you Guest ,I also hated the lack of interaction you get with Bonnie and Mike at the museum. That part was easily the most uplifting and best part of the episode and I wished it could have lasted longer. Rather than bringing the focus back too the Luke/Kenny conflict. (I'm tired of them arguing! I'd prefer to listen to Bonnie and Mike, and Mike needs to eat that damn raccoon!) **

**Pegomyegoo- I can't answer that at the moment but I appreciate your review and interest in the story! **

**apathy- Thanks, I'm glad you noted the latest part in the comic. I think it's a really interesting prospect Kirkman has brought up, although some people think the walkers really are talking, I imagine it's somebody using the zombie guts idea, for a more sinister purpose. And thanks for letting me know your thoughts on who will die. I love that your speculating, but I can't reveal anything yet... **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for the review! and yeah I think Molly was awesome but as for Lilly I'd imagine she still be pissed at Kenny, although it's been a while, he killed her father and (if left behind on the road) he was the one who instantly made the suggestion to leave her. Having a reunion between those two would be an interesting prospect indeed... **

**As for discussions (this is an random one) but how do you think the zombie outbreak started? Seeing as it an unanswered question in every walking dead media. **

**Rebloxic- thanks for the reviews and as for the question. I do feel it has spread to the rest of the world. Otherwise they'd be some sort of international response (planes flying overhead, like the film 28 days later...) added to the fact it's been two years into the apocalypse and there's been no sort of major rescue programme etc... so I think it's worldwide.**

**and FunFX2012 thanks for the review! and I'm still enjoying your story AquaDestinysEmbrace! **

* * *

Night was descending over the pine forest as the temperatures dropped to dangerously low levels, Nick's own breath came out as blue mist in front of him, as his legs ached and his back was sore from the walking they had done all day...

"I thought the cabin was meant to be around here?" Sarah asked, she was tired after a full day of treading through this thick vegetation, lugging a heavy bag after her.

"I thought it was" Nick responded through his chattering teeth, as he moved onwards, he was so certain it was around here, he had been around this area of forest before. So where the hell was the cabin? He felt disoriented, as he ascended a small incline he was certain that he would end up sleeping out in the cold night...

So when he reached the top of the incline, when he saw the dark outline of the cabin, he actually laughed in sheer relief. The cabin was well hidden when he thought about it.

"It's here, looks like we'll be sleeping in a bed tonight!" he mused in a jolly manner to Sarah, whose half lidded eyes, snapped open in joy as (through her poor vision) she caught the black silhouette of the cabin ahead of her, (which was slightly darker than the blue-ish black hum of the cold backdrop of the night.

"Thank God" she breathed, as she and Nick stumbled like hungry walkers towards the front door. Each of them were completely exhausted and simply wanted to lie down. It was due to this fatigue that Nick was less cautious when he approached the cabin, he never got to say a proper goodbye to it. Coming back to it's front door it was a strange place to return too.

To his surprise the front door swung open. A quick glance around the hallway told him that the cabin still appeared neat from the inside. Sarah closed the door gently behind him. She turned the lock and with a comfortable click, the front door locked which gave her a sense of security.

Nick pulled out his glass shard as he gazed into the blackness "Hey! Anyone there!" he shouted into the gloom. He doubted if any cut throat bandits, lurking behind closed doors, or pieces of furniture would answer him. Yet... someone innocent could be lurking around... as highly unlikely as that was.

The silence that followed was unnerving.

Nick slammed open every closed door in the cabin. Expecting a bandit to charge out from him in the darkness. He held his breath and slammed his shoulder into the door as it flew open. Yet nothing stirred. He looked behind every corner, he looked in every nook and cranny of every closet or small hiding space. He checked under all of the beds and checked to see if there was anything that wasn't there beforehand that had been left there. The sort of things squatters would leave behind.

Nothing, the cabin was still brimming with old objects they had failed to pack with them the first time, but it appeared that nothing or nobody had been through here. It was untouched. It was a miracle seeing as there was all sorts of scarps of canned food left, in the darkest corners that Luke and the others failed to pack during their last hasty exit.

"It's brilliant, it's untouched, it's hard to believe right?" he asked of Sarah who nodded.

"Kinda feels empty though" she said sadly sweeping a gaze over the new layer of dust, that had muffled their footsteps on the creaky wooden floorboards. Nick had to agree with her there, but they still had supplies...

"Well this place is pretty secure, we should get some rest and see what we can gather tomorrow" he muttered to her as she nodded. They proceeded towards Sarah and Carlos' old bedroom. She had to choke back a sob as she lay on the double bed, it was almost as if she could feel her father next to her.

But he was gone. He was never coming back. She curled up as she faced the floor, (although she was still clothed, in something other than her comfortable pyjamas) she pulled the duvet up to her chin as she tried to get comfortable under the blankets. Trying to snuggle her head into the comfortable pillows...

"Night" Nick said from Nick to her.

"Night Daddy" she said back. Trying hard to imagine (that just for a second) that her loving father was still here.

Too Nick, he knew she was remembering Carlos, but he couldn't help but feel as if... as if he was somehow being a good replacement. He wasn't father material...

But... Sarah's comment made him smile, as he drifted off too sleep.

* * *

Night was now fully beginning to creep up into the pen, as Clementine nervously twirled strands of her growing black curls of hair in her fingers. Tonight was truly, the night.

She was leaning against her bunk, awaiting for when Russell face would come out of the darkness. Her body's response was that of flight or fight. She would have to flee to the armoury and then fight with her weapons. As she felt her heart beat faster in her chest and knots become tighter in her stomach.

No one else spoke much either, they conversed in low tones. Their eyes all swishing back to the shutter every few seconds. The atmosphere was starting to drive Clementine crazy, as much as she was dreading the uprising to start, she knew it had to be done.

To finally get rid of Carver.

"Hey Clem?"

Bonnie sounded as nervous as she felt, as she approached Clementine.

"I was thinking, before shit hits the fan... that maybe... you'd want to show Luke that drawing?" She reminded Clementine. In her nerves Clementine had forgotten about the drawing she had stored in her pocket in her jumpsuit. Right now she slowly pulled out the crumpled thing and gestured at Jane to follow her. The short haired woman followed Clementine as they approached Luke's bunk, as Bonnie, Shel and Stephanie stayed where they were. But were closely watching the scene.

Luke was still laying on his bunk. His eyes vacant as he gazed upwards.

"Luke" Clementine called to him, as he snapped out of his stupor, his face filling with a pronounced warm, as he turned to face her.

"Hey Clem" he responded as Clementine's hazel eyes locked on his own.

"I... drew you something" she admitted shyly.

"What? Not a hideous self portrait?" he joked, remembering vividly the one's Eddie and Wyatt had drawn of each other.

"No... I think... well... we all think... you deserved something after losing all your stuff. I know it's not much... but..." she handed him the drawing to him as his eyes locked on it.

"Tah-Dah" she muttered nervously, wondering what his reaction would be.

He looked down at the drawing Clementine had made for him. In a nutshell it was a drawing of his parents. Based off every little detail Luke had told Clementine about his parents, from his father's hair and eye colour, to his mother's large nose and big eyes. Based off their age and building up these images from Luke's own face. She had done her best to paint a picture in her mind of Luke's parents. No doubt it was poor replacement for an actual photograph. But it was all she had right now.

"Well?" she asked nervously after his face showed no signs of emotion for all full minute.

He finally looked up, suddenly sniffing, he didn't need to say anything. He simply pulled Clementine in for a hug which she returned, when they broke apart, he eventually got out... "It's... amazing... thank you... so much Clementine..."

She highly doubted it was "amazing" but yet Luke seemed generally happy to have the drawing. As he gazed upon his new treasure Jane caught his attention with a loud cough as he looked up again.

"Destroyed Locket my ass Luke. Look what I had to smuggle you from the scrapheap" she muttered with disdain chucking a battered, burnt yet still intact locket from her pocket. The damaged thing landed in Luke's open palms as he blinked for a few seconds, opening it, he saw the small photograph of his family that was inside had been burnt to black crisp. Yet the locket was still here... damaged but... still here.

Words couldn't express the gratitude he felt towards Jane in those few seconds. He simply stood up and pulled her into a bone crushing hug too. "Thank you" he breathed into her ear, as she smiled warmly as they broke apart.

"Just... don't lose it again" She responded, trying hard not too feel to touched (or secretly aroused) by his hug and the feeling of his body on her own... Shaking such thoughts away her light smile remained in place, as they both gazed at each other. Once again Clementine's cough was the thing that brought a red cheeked Luke back down to earth.

"I thought you found the locket, not Jane" Shel told Stephanie.

Stephanie shrugged "Well I told Jane she could take the credit. _A little white lie can do good sometimes. _and look at them... after everything they've been through, they deserve each other. They deserve a bit of happiness. Hell I reckon I'd make a good cupid" Stephanie laughed as Shel nodded. Bonnie stood next to them, never feeling so alone or heartbroken.

She had always liked Luke, he was handsome, brave, charismatic. Whatever she felt for Leland paled in comparison for what she felt for Luke. Never had someone understood her, or was as nice to her as Luke was, she spent days gushing over him while working. But she knew she would never have him... no matter what she felt. She was older than him and he would go with some nice younger girl... she wanted him to be happy. More than she wanted herself to be happy. So she simply smiled when Jane and Luke shared a very deep hug...

Burying her own feelings. Luke saw her as a friend and that was that. She had to start realising that maybe she didn't deserve him. After all she was a drug addict before all this. She killed Dee. Leland left her soon after. She had led Carver to the ski-resort resulting in Walter, Johnny and Alvin's deaths. She had done terrible things and maybe not having Luke was a form of karma. Yet she would smile through it, she was an expert in hiding her true emotions. Maybe that's why she turned to drugs in the first place... because she never felt like she had no one to open up fully too...

But there was no danger of getting high now. Drugs were nothing but a distant memory. She would simply have to bear the brunt of the pain.

Unless she died later that night, which she hadn't ruled out.

As Bonnie stood there, Rebecca also gazed on the scene. It was touching of Clementine and Jane to do that of Luke. She also saw Eddie and Wyatt share a joke "Even now..." she thought, despite all this death and destruction they still smiled and maintained a strong friendship. When she looked around she saw Kenny and Sarita holding each other's hands and talking softly too each other... Stephanie and Shel laughing together...

She sighed. Knowing that at the end of this uprising only 2 to 3 of them would be alive. She knew William Carver far too well, his guards obeyed his every command and they were organized. With his brutality (added to the fact they had failed to outwit Carver for nearly a week or two now) she knew this uprising may have been successful but at the massive cost of life.

There was no herd to distract the guards. It was going to be a bloodbath.

And all she could do was sit here on her backside and moan. She hated relying on others. She loathed it. Knowing that everyone else had fought and defined Carver and worked in torture, while she just lay here... day after day... it was driving her nuts.

She caught the form of Troy walking past the shutter. She decided (if she wanted to actually do something) now she had to act now.

"TROY!" She bellowed from her bed, as every pen dweller and the man himself turned to her.

"What!?" he snapped, glaring at her through the holes in the metal shutter.

"I... I need to see Bill about something! It's urgent!" she shouted.

"Can't it wait till morning?" Troy moaned at her.

"No...it has to be now!" Rebecca yelled, as Troy got onto his walkie talkie to Carver, Sarita turned to Rebecca "What... are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm gonna make sure my baby is safe. When this whole uprising starts, I need to be there for the baby. I'll also try and distract Bill if I can" she informed Sarita as more heads turned at this news.

"If you're gonna do that, be careful" Kenny warned her. She found it ironic that it was Kenny of all people telling her to _be careful..._

"I will be, but if something happens to me, promise me you'll look after Alvin" she told the group sadly.

"We will take care of him" Sarita promised, as Rebecca let out big smile. As she did Troy clanked open the shutter, training his rifle on the pen dwellers.

"Bill says you can go for a quick word! Now get your ass moving!" he snapped at Rebecca who leapt off her bed and (despite being a little shaky on her feet) proceeded forwards. Others offered to help her walk along.

"Nah, I got this. I'll see you guys soon" she said to them as she left the pen.

Feeling dreadful.

* * *

Troy opened the door to Carver's office as Rebecca walked in... taking a deep breath as she urged herself to move forwards and try to speak rationally to the man she hated with every fibre of her being.

Troy closed the door behind her, as she looked forward towards where Carver was staring directly at her.

"Well...well Rebecca... baby. You come to rip my head off?" he asked with a dry smile.

The way he called her "_baby_" made her want to rip his head off indeed. Yet she maintained her temper, as she inhaled and muttered "I want to see Alvin"

"Billy's in his cot" Carver responded coldly at the use of the name "_Alvin_" Rebecca couldn't care less, she slowly walked forward and gazed at her son who was sleeping peacefully in the small cot besides Carver's desk. Draped in clean blankets of aqua blue.

"His beautiful" She uttered.

"Isn't he? He hardly cries you know?" Carver told her as he paced around his desk, watching Rebecca like a hawk.

"Have you been looking after him?" she asked of Carver, turning to face him. Carver retained a neutral face as he looked down at the baby "Of course I have, I wouldn't kill my child".

Rebecca closed her eyes sadly. She could deny it all she wanted, but the truth was right in front of her. Carver was the baby's biological father.

"His _our_ child" she finally admitted to him. The first time she had ever said that phrase out loud to William Carver. The first time she had ever spoken the truth out loud and it hurt her. However Carver's green eyes widened in surprise, he did not expect Rebecca to admit to such a thing.

"So... you finally accept that I'm the father?" he asked approaching her, as she looked up at him.

"It doesn't mean I feel anything for you" she snapped turning back to her child, hoping that her ploy would work, and sure enough Carver fell for it.

"Baby... I know you fucked me to get me to lighten up on Luke and the others. But... there was something else wasn't there?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow as he leaned in close to Rebecca.

"At one point... maybe there was Bill. But I loved Alvin and you have Tavia now" she told him coldly. She knew that playing hard to get would only make him try to get her harder. She knew William Carver far too well and once again Carver fell for her ploy.

"You really think Tavia's got anything on you?" he asked, his voice husky, as he caressed her cheek and jaw softly. Whatever sort of warmth Rebecca felt for him was replaced with an ice in her gut. But she could play her part very well if she wanted to seduce William Carver.

"I think you shouldn't fuck Tavia then and fuck me then if that's how you feel" she told him sternly.

"Baby... Tavia offered me. I couldn't refuse. I'm only a man after all. Besides the real woman I wanted was acting... so cold towards me..."

"After you murdered Alvin, what else do you expect Bill!?" she snapped harshly at him.

"Come on, he was your husband and all. But we all knew that fatass didn't... please you as much as I could"

Rebecca didn't know how she didn't shout. How she didn't throttle him upon these words. Yet to her own amazement, she managed too control her rampaging emotions as she remained silent. Carver seemed to be getting closer to her with each passing second. He expected an answer. She turned to Alvin in his crib. and the people back in the pen. They were only people she truly loved. Not this monster.

So she would protect them, at whatever cost.

"I'll do whatever you want me too. If you let me see him" she offered gesturing towards her son in his crib.

"You're Billy's mother. You don't have to do anything for me. We could be a true family" he smiled as he leaned in closer, Rebecca wrapped herself around him, as she drew herself into his face. Ready to kiss him... however at the last second he seemed to recoil as she pushed Rebecca away from him.

"How do I know you're not tricking me!?" he growled.

"And now the idiot thinks" Rebecca thought to herself, however she maintained her demeanour as she muttered "I... I'm not sure what I feel about you Bill. You've killed so many people... but you've done that all too protect my child, and you are his father..." she placed her face in her hands as she pretended to sob into them. Carver didn't come to comfort her... what a gentlemen...

"I'm not falling for this" Carver snapped, Rebecca wiped away a fake tear, as she looked at him with her wide bronze eyes.

"I'll prove it too you! I'll prove that this is real Bill, that this isn't just some deal! I just want to look after my child and...!"

Bill cut her off, as he muttered.

"How? How are you gonna prove to me that what you feel is real and not just some set-up by the other guys in the pen?"

With a regretful sigh, Rebecca opened her mouth... knowing full well she was going to have to do this, to gain Carver's trust.

* * *

A full hour had passed since Rebecca had left the pen. Russell still hadn't appeared even though it was late into the night.

"What's taking so damn long!" Kenny exclaimed in impatience once every minute. Some lay on their bunks trying to ease their queasy stomachs. Other paced around the campfire. Luke and Jane were having a heartfelt conversation that Clementine was trying to overhear (she guessed she was being nosy, but she wanted something to distract her from her growing nerves) however as she did a sudden crashing into the shutter made her jump up.

"GET YOUR ASS INTO THAT PEN!" Came Carver's roar.

"FUCK YOU BILL!" Was Russell's comeback.

"Dammit what's going on now?" Mike muttered as he (along with several others) ran towards the shutter than was being opened.

A beaten Russell was thrown (head-first) into the cold gravel floor of the pen. The maternal Sarita was on him in an instant, shielding him from further harm, as Carver emerged from the hardware store, a large smile onto his face.

"So..." He mused to the pen dwellers as Clementine felt her gut sink... "You were gonna distract me, use this idiot..." he gestured at Russell "...to bust you out of the pen. And the plan was to grab weapons from the armoury and take me down?" he laughed loudly into the cold night, as Kenny's face fell the furthest as he raged...

"WHO!? WHO TOLD YOU!?"

He received his answer a second later, as Rebecca came out from the darkness, smiling in a sinister manner at Kenny as she told them all "I told him"

No one could speak. Everyone was in shock. Rebecca had betrayed them. Rebecca had sold them out to Carver.

"Rebecca... how could you?" Sarita asked. She was too appalled at Rebecca to rage at her, she (like many others were still in shock) Rebecca simply smiled and kissed Carver on the cheek, as more jaws fell through the floor as he placed an arm around her.

"I can't believe you all fell for it. I was only looking out for my baby" she told them all.

"But... all the stuff you said about Bill... hiding your birth from him..." Bonnie spluttered.

"All forgiven, Rebecca here has earned her way out of the pen. She agreed to be part of the family and serve the community" Carver mused, as Rebecca looked on. Giving her best evil witch glare to any of the shocked faces that came her way.

"Fucking... bitch" Russell spat at Rebecca who merely shrugged off the insult.

"Now all of y'all get to bed! The party's over!" Carver snapped, as he closed the shutter with a bang that snapped everyone back their senses.

"She... can't have done that! She had to be... up to something!" Bonnie tried to reassure everyone desperately.

"She fucking betrayed us! I knew we shouldn't have trusted her!" Kenny raged, as he began swearing rapidly and under his breath at a brick wall as he tried to control his growing anger and frustration at the situation.

Others simply returned to bed. Disappointment after Disappointment had exhausted them into miserable slumbers. Clementine included, as she lay on her bunk as Kenny was arguing for how Rebecca had really betrayed them, while Bonnie and Luke were trying to assure them that Rebecca would never do such a thing.

"... She wouldn't do something like that! She has to be up to something!" Luke argued.

"She just fucking betrayed us! She just _did _do something like that!" Kenny screamed back.

"Even if she wanted too protect her baby, she still betrayed us and got me beaten and thrown in here!" Russell roared as Sarita helped him too a chair.

"Ah well, were all together now! Big hug!" Wyatt told Russell cheerfully, extending his arms for a hug. If Russell's glares could kill, Wyatt would be worse than dead right now.

"I knew this would happen. I'm such a fucking idiot for even agreeing to join in on this" Russell moaned, as he swore angrily under his breath, Vince however gave him a reassuring hand on Russell's shoulder.

"Yeah, you're in here. But you're on the right side man" he told Russell proudly. Russell looked up, it didn't make him feel much better. But it did help. However slightly.

"So now what do we do!?" Kenny asked in frustration.

"We wait to see what Rebecca has planned!" Luke answered as Kenny glared at him, while Sarita gazed calmly at Luke.

"Luke listen... even if Rebecca still had this planned. Why didn't she tell any of us?" Sarita told him calmly hoping that Luke would see sense, that Rebecca had indeed betrayed them for real. Yet despite this Luke shook his head.

"I dunno... but you gotta have faith guys! I just know in my gut there's no way she would fall for Bill! Not after what he did to Alvin! Not after what he did too us...!"

"SHE ONLY GIVES TWO SHITS ABOUT HER BABY...!"

Clementine let them argue on into the night. In a weird way she was relieved that the rebellion had been... well postponed. Because she was sure that many would die if it had been tonight. They now had Russell firmly on their side and there was still the faint hope that Rebecca had something planned. (added to the plus bonus they could get more guards onto their side with more time... but would Carver have simply killed them by that point?)

As much as Kenny and Sarita argued their case against Rebecca. Clementine had a strong feeling in her gut that Rebecca's words had not been genuine. After hiding her birth from Carver... after all the hateful things she said about him... there was simply no way she would fall in love with him once again. That kiss on the cheek... it had to have been fake.

She could understand Rebecca was protective of her child, but she knew that she cared a great deal about everyone in the pen.

_"You're family" she told them, just after Alvin was born and she allowed everyone to hold her newborn son. _

Clementine had faith in Rebecca. She wasn't going to give up hope, this rebellion wasn't over (as Kenny was arguing) it had only just begun it's final stage of escalation.


	35. Bonding At The Cabin

**A/N: Okay, this story is now the 7th most reviewed on the site! (An odd little fact I looked at) still I can't thank you all enough for the continued support! **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Glad you're enjoying the story still and as for Anne... I felt bad for her in your story. She was constantly getting beaten down. I guess she'll make Carver and Troy pay for it later though. **

**Emily Carver- Thanks! I loved how you picked up on certain things through quotes in the story. I loved how you ended your review with same closing line I used for the chapter... when I read it out it, it sounds so epic... (insert Morgan Freeman voice here) **

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- A lot of love for Nick and Sarah! and I like your theory on how the infection started and as for the new discussion point... I've noticed you've shared my love for Molly and we share a similar view to Jane. So I'd wonder if you'd agree with this point.. does Molly's character symbolise series 1 as a whole. While Jane's character symbolise season 2 as a whole?**

**Confusing, but I'll try to explain. Molly was a badass (similar to Lee) she was emotionally tough (again, Like Lee) and she would do anything to protect the one's she cared about selling her body to the doctor to get her sister meds, this could compare too how Lee was willing to go to great lengths to protect Clementine (walking through a herd to get to her). Whereas Jane symbolises the survival of the lone wolf (Clementine in episodes 1 and maybe 5) the attitudes that liabilities only slow the group down and will get the group and themselves killed (Nick and Sarah's deaths). I came up with this theory... so what do you think? **

**Rebloxic- Thank you for the continued support and I'm glad you're giving your answers to these questions on these authors notes (makes them really fun to write) **

**Lockdown- Thanks (I'll have to use the term shyamalaned in future) I surprised myself many people found it surprising! I hope I can continue to surprise you however, as I love a story where I never know what's coming next.**

**Maximo- Trust me you weren't the only one surprised, judging by the rest of the reviews here.**

**Eggomypeggo- Well I am bit socially awkward but I don't have autism (I don't know anyone with autism either) so to hear that compliment means a lot! I hope I continue to give Sarah's character the justice she didn't get in the game. **

**and finally Some guy, thanks you for reading! thank you also to NN009, rokon 900 and apathy for your kind reviews!**

* * *

"Nick..."

Sarah's voice sounded strangely disoriented, as his eyes fluttered open, something didn't seem right in the room. It was completely black as he (for some reason and unable to control himself) turned to face where Sarah was lying closely next to him. Both of them were under the covers.

"Hey Nick..." Sarah's voice was almost teasing him now, as she leant her body closer to his, as he felt himself go stiff.

"Sarah..." Nick whimpered...

"Kiss me" she snarled aggressively.

Nick couldn't control it, one minute he was laying there, the next minute Sarah trailed her arms all over his body. Her lips forcefully on his own as he kissed back... trying hard to pull away, but he couldn't. Despite thinking about wrong this all was, for some reason he was getting hot under the collar.

"FUCK ME!" Sarah suddenly screamed in a tone of a demonic harpy, as Nick felt his ears prickle.

"Sarah... no!" He tried to shout, but nothing came out of his mouth, his whole body was frozen as Sarah smiled and planted kisses all up his neck and smothered him in the kisses he had long craved... but he didn't crave them from a 15 year old girl! Fuck! Why was he getting so aroused by this!? Why was he sweating!? He had to stop, but he couldn't his body was pushing him as Sarah grinned and continued to kiss him all over, before she bit at his Nick as felt himself groan in pleasure...

However this sensation faded in an instant, as he felt warm blood run down, his neck. He tried gasping for oxygen that wasn't there as he looked up. Sarah was no longer on top of him, instead Pete's dead face hung in the darkness above him.

"You gotta grow up son" he taunted Nick, holding the chunk of Nick's neck in between his teeth as he smiled...

Figures emerged from the darkness, many of them Nick recognised from his school days as they began to taunt him, "You're not getting any! You're not getting any!" they cheered on like a demonic choir, as Pete shook his head sadly. The phrase "You gotta grow up son..." playing over and over in the backdrop of the taunting...

And then he saw the worst sight of it all. Luke. Luke was there, shooting Nick a glare and muttering "I never wanted you too come back" which was twisted version of the last words Nick heard Luke say to him. Nick could feel himself choking and retching as Luke walked away from him. A tear welling in his eye.

"Come back..." he sobbed to Luke.

"Without me, you're nothing" Was all Luke said as he escorted the two nude women Nick had pictures off into the darkness, as the crowd of people approached him, their chanting had become a screaming, as they were now the people in the body bags of walkers as they easily tore off bits of Nick's flesh...

"YOU AREN'T GETTING ANY!"

"YOU GOTTA GROW UP SON!"

"YOU'RE NOTHING!"

It was too much... the pain... he couldn't breathe, his head was about to explode, as he was instantly reduced to nothing...

* * *

"AH!" Nick yelled spring-boarding up on the bed, one second he was in pitch blackness and the next the strong sunlight was streaming in from the cabin windows, he blinked rapidly, his stomach felt queasy, his was drenched in cold sweat as he felt a loose tear fall from his eye.

That nightmare was one of the worst he had ever had. It played on all his underlying fears... being nothing compared to Luke. He had kissed a girl... but remained a closeted Virgin. When he compared himself to Luke... he felt like Luke was what "Grown up" was. He was the immature waste of space on the sidelines, he was never going to "grow up" or in other words "man up" and lose his virginity or do the brave things had Luke had done...

Still shaking he stood up from the bed and rushed for the nearby bathroom (Sarah wasn't on the bed, as Nick could hear her messing around downstairs), reaching his destination he was relived to find that the sink still had running water, pouring cold water into his palms. He splashed the freezing liquid onto his clammy face and damp black hairs of his fringe. (Only then realising that his cap wasn't on his head, yet right now he didn't care...) he continued to try and calm himself down and thoroughly wipe his face...

Calming down, he looked up to his (still haughty) reflection. His big blue eyes had seemingly grown even larger, as his black pupils were dilated to a gigantic size. He waited a little while longer, before his heart beat returned to normal and he wiped himself down (using a nearby towel).

"You're fine, it was just a stupid dream" He told himself as he swung open the bathroom door, yet the venom that the nightmare had injected into his system wasn't going anywhere soon...

"Hey Sarah... you okay down here?" he asked as he reached the landing, to find Sarah on one of the large sofa's, gazing happily down at...

Oh no.

"Hey Nick... you've got naughty photos" she teased waving one of the photos of the nude woman at him. She couldn't resist it any longer, she knew those photos were there and after Nick's cap slid off again last night. She awoke in the morning to pick it up and take the photos in the cap downstairs. Pretending to look at them for the first time and she was even more curious to see Nick's reaction.

If Nick hand't had the nightmare Sarah's teasing wouldn't have made him pause in his tracks. Yet he regained himself as he rushed over to Sarah.

"Jeez Sarah... don't look at those..." he began going to snatch them up. Sarah leapt off the sofa with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Well come get them then" she challenged, raising an eyebrow at him as he sighed.

"I'm not the mood for this" He groaned.

"Slow-poke!" Sarah exclaimed happily darting off into the kitchen, "Come get your photos Nick!" she yelled back to him, as he remained standing as still as a statue by the sofa.

"Dammit, why didn't I put those photos somewhere else?" Nick asked himself as he jogged into the kitchen after Sarah, he looked around before Sarah shot out from behind a nearby counter, Nick turned and caught her easily.

"Hey! No fair!" She yelled playfully, holding on tighter to the photos in her hands, as Nick muttered "Don't make me do this Sarah"

"You can never make me let go of these! No matter what you do!" Sarah yelled in a playful manner towards him. Nick closed his eyes, well this was it. He had to do this. Sarah had asked for it.

His hands found their way under Sarah's arms and he began to tickle the life out of her, the happily chuckling girl, fell to a merry heap on the floor, as Nick snatched back his photos from her loose fingers.

"Ha!" Nick yelled triumphantly, waving the photos in the air as he pocketed them. As stupid as that whole scenario was, it was the just the sort of thing he needed to clear the venom of the nightmare from out of his system. Sarah was still a child in many ways, but her optimism and playful nature was something he discovered that he _needed, _so he wouldn't dwell or brood on events that had gone by and even if it was just for a minute. He could forget this whole shitty world and his shitty self... and just enjoy the present.

"I saw your other photos" Sarah eventually said (after she stopped laughing) "I can't believe Pete had hair" out of all the things she could have said she had to go for that one. Nick couldn't help but laugh in agreement.

"Me too, do you know he used to wear a wig sometimes to cover it up?" Nick informed Sarah.

"Seriously?" she asked back in a giddy manner.

"Yep, he looked like such an idiot..."

The two laughed on like two giddy teenage girls, over this "gossip" yet Nick was reminded of times when his Uncle used to wear that stupid wig, back to happier times... he thoughts remained on a high as he scooped up the rest of his photos from the sofa and pocketed them in his trouser pocket (rather than his cap this time), as he did Sarah asked the obvious question.

"Hey Nick... why did you keep those photos? Were they your girlfriends?" she asked her eyes lighting up as Nick smiled and chuckled slightly "No, I... well... they help me to _relieve stress_" he tried to word it carefully around Sarah, hoping she would get the gist of what he was saying, to his disappointment she merely looked puzzled.

"What does that mean?" she inquired.

"Well... did your dad ever tell you how babies are made?" He decided to try this approach as Sarah's face lit up.

"Yeah! Dad told me when a man loves a woman very much, a man will plant his seed into a woman and this seed grows into a baby!" she shouted, thinking she knew it all, as Nick couldn't help but laugh at her statement, she was still so innocent.

"Jesus Carlos, what have you left me with?" he chuckled to the celling.

"Why are you laughing? That's how babies are made right? Right?" she repeatedly asked of him, begging for an answer, as Nick continued to laugh himself dry, yet he also found out that Carlos' sheltering of Sarah was simply too much. It was one thing to shield her from what walkers were, or the state of the world. But failing to make her aware of "the birds and the bees" as well as which state they were in currently, he may have loved his daughter but a 15 year old girl should have been aware of these things.

"It's nothing Sarah, don't worry about it. I'll tell you soon, I promise alright?" he reassured her, as the anxiety was wiped from her face, as she nodded "Oh... okay then" she muttered as Nick smiled.

* * *

They spent the rest of the morning clearing out the cabin and looking for supplies, Nick was packing every last scarp of canned food he could find. As he was filling their canteen's with tap water he heard Sarah approach him from behind.

"Hey Nick... have a look at me and tell me if it looks good" she stated nervously, Nick wiped around to see a new pair of square shaped black rimmed glasses were planted on her nose. and her short haired had been styled into a single ponytail with a hair bobble she had found.

"Where do you find the glasses, they look good" Nick told her as she smiled nervously, as she explained "Well... dad used to keep a spare set of glasses for me, in case my old one's broke. But we left them behind last time, because we were in a rush to leave. But I found them again!" she stated happily pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Can you see any better?"

"It's like I have my old glasses back! It's great!"

"That's good and nice hairstyle too, It's cool" Nick complimented as Sarah's smile only grew wider.

"Thanks" she admitted shyly as she brushed her ponytail.

Sarah wondered off to find more stuff, as Nick continued to gather as much food and water as he could and cram it into his backpack. Lifting a heavier bag he turned around to discover that Sarah had once again snuck up behind him.

"Say cheese!" She yelled, before Nick could even register what had happened his vision was blinded by a bright blue flash. Blinking rapidly he wiped his eyes to see Sarah waving a photo of himself (looking rather surprised) in his face.

"I found this in one of the other bedrooms, me and Clementine were taking pictures before we had to leave" she told him, showing him a large grey camera.

"Are you actually planning on taking that thing with you?" he asked.

"Yeah! Along with the books!"

"Books?"

It soon transpired that Sarah had dumped volumes of books, along with the old camera into the same bag as the meds, Upon seeing this Nick placed his hands on his hips and muttered "Sarah... it's heavy enough as it is..."

"I'll carry it! I promise!" she begged of him.

"We've got enough to carry..." he told her sternly.

"Please!" She begged with her best puppy dog eyes, it made it hard for Nick to disagree with her, yet that bag would be a nuisance...

"Get rid of a few books at least and I'll let you keep the rest" this seemed to satisfy the teenager into a silence, for the next couple of minutes.

As she continued to pack supplies into the bag of meds, Nick explored the kitchen. Opening a wooden brown drawer, he discovered a large and sharp kitchen knife awaiting him inside, he placed his hand around the hilt of the knife and placed it next to his glass shard in his bag. A little comfortable in the knowledge they had another weapon. It was a shame however, that there were no bullets around or any guns either.

Nick continued to navigate his way through the cabin, trying to nitpick anything he could have missed and trying hard to keep that nightmare from crippling him. He got along with Sarah, he got along with her very well, but in no way did he feel anything romantic for her at all. The dream had broken a taboo and then twisted his subconscious fears into a grim reality. He always found himself comparing himself to Luke... how he was always worse than Luke at everything (other than fucking up) and his low self esteem only worsened the problem.

Yet right now, he wasn't with Luke and he was able to crack more smiles with Sarah than he had done for the past several months, in this grim apocalypse with Luke as his main source of company. They still joked around as friends did, but there was no doubt the apocalypse was changing people...

With these depressing thoughts in mind, he opened a cabinet to discover a pile of white slips, curious he flipped them over to discover that they were all photos. Photos taken by the same camera that Sarah had...

It hit him like a truck. How had he not recognised that the camera Sarah had, was the one they found when they first made it too the cabin? It was Luke's idea to start clicking away at the cabin group as they smiled in an exhausted manner. Still wary of the threat of Carver on their trail . No one thought much about the photos, as Luke lost the camera the very next day. and the small photos taken were obviously left forgotten here.

Nick picked some up, his eyes watered.

* * *

"Hey Sarah, I just remembered that the camera you found, was the one we lost on the first day here" Nick told her as he walked into the small bedroom as she looked up from where she deciding between two books to take with her.

"I thought that, so I was glad to find it again. I just wish we had the old photographs" she muttered sadly as Nick smiled and produced the pile of them, from behind his back as Sarah eyes widened.

"Here" he said handing her a single photo that showed her smiling merrily at the camera (they were taken inside the cabin) while Carlos stood over his daughter looking sheepish, "Daddy..." Sarah murmured stroking the dusty photo.

"With that, you'll always have something to remember him by" Nick told her, before he felt the wind get knocked out of him as Sarah crashed into him.

"Thank you" she sobbed in happiness into his shirt, as Nick pocketed his own photos of himself with Pete and Luke with a warm smile. He also promised to take some of Alvin back to Rebecca, as Sarah pocketed her (now treasured) photo Nick spoke up once again.

"You know it must be about midday, I reckon we could stay here for another night and then, if we really push hard we can get back to Hardware store in just less than a day's walk" he informed her happily, Sarah looked as though Christmas had come early as she uttered "So... you know the way back?"

"From the cabin? Yeah, it should take us a day if were quick. Remember that last time we kept stopping for breaks and it's safer to move in the day than it is at night, it's warmer too" Nick argument had Sarah agreeing to it with a vigorous nod of her head, as she gazed up at Nick with her eyes shining.

"You're the best"

Nick felt a warm feeling spread across his gut.

Nightmare? What nightmare? Nick didn't seem to recall one in those moments.

* * *

"GET UP! Y'ALL GONNA BE WORKIN' ALL DAY TODAY, YOU HERE ME!? ALL DAY! NO MORE BREAKS FOR YOUR LOUSY ASSES...!"

Troy was the equal to an alarm clock that Clementine wanted to smash with her fist, she woke up not feeling as groggy as she previously felt on such mornings. No doubt her body had adapted to the hard work and routine alarm clock that was Troy. She actually started to find herself awake, just before Troy started to shout, showing her sleep patterns had changed somewhat.

Troy clanked open the shutter, No one spoke much that morning, as they were led off too another day of miserable slave labour, by building the trenches outside the compound. Rebecca's "betrayal" was also still raw in many people's minds, as morale remained at an all time low.

Clementine may have looked downtrodden, but as she was led towards the trenches that morning, she knew something was going to happen very soon. She had concluded that Rebecca had her own "plan" in place, the uprising's final stage had begun slowly.

_But would soon kick off into chaos. _

* * *

**A/N: Okay, not a lot happened in this chapter, but the final saga of this story is beginning so expect a lot more to happen very soon.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	36. The Timing Of Things

**A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews! Also EPISODE 5 TRAILER! I lost interest after the fiasco that was "Amid The Ruins" but the episode still had some good points. So with that in mind I have faith that the final episode will be an awesome finale and match the standards set in "A house divided" and "No Time Left". In a nutshell, I'm hyped for this episode.**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- You explained your views on Molly and Jane perfectly and I agree with your points. Now I'm going to try and raise a more difficult question, (that may divide opinion) if the game gave you the option to save either Nick or Sarah (and you could only save one) who would it be?**

**Emily Carver- I'm really enjoying your reviews! I love how you take quotes from the story and use them as evidence for the points you make. I love the ending quote you used. It's one of my favourites from the hunger games and I might chuck it into the story somewhere if I can.**

**rokon900- Thank you for the review and my favourite character from this season (not counting Clem of course) would be Nick, because he was so complex and flawed but he generally wanted to protect the group. He was like a younger version of Kenny. **

**Eggomypeggo (can I just say I love saying your username out loud, it awesome): Thanks for the reviews! and as for that question... Season 2 started out brilliantly. "All That Remains" was a brilliant episode (Others were mediocre about it, but I loved it) I loved how Clementine learned to fend for herself and meet these new people who had episodes to develop and get to know better. "A House Divided" followed through on that brilliantly. Developing the new characters, the return of Kenny and the whole hostage scenario at the ski lodge. Best episode of the season.**

**With two amazing episodes in their belt, I was hyped for "In Harm's Way" I played through it and... still good, but something was off. Nick's lack of dialogue in the episode and the lack of involvement from the 400 days characters (excluding Bonnie) was a worrying omen that the writers were starting to get lazy. But I shrugged off this fears and enjoyed episode 3, not as much as 2 or 1. But still a strong 7 or 8 out of 10. And then Amid the ruins came... brilliant opening and then after that... well what I can say? Wasted potential, characters not staying consistent, choices didn't make the slightest bit of difference...**

**In a nutshell, brilliant first two episodes, and then the root of the problem of lazy writing started in episode 3 and full out sprouted everywhere in episode 4. I hope episode 5 can redeem this series which is great overall but doesn't touch on Season 1.**

**okay and before this authors note gets too long, thanks to Maximo, apathy, Kranon The Deathclaw-Human and AquaDestinysEmbrace for your kind words! And now I shall proceed with the story...**

* * *

"Let's sing a song" Eddie suggested out of the blue to a disgruntled looking Wyatt.

"Dude-shut-up" Wyatt said, shooting him down with his deadpan comment, this would not however crush Eddie's brightened face.

"Nah came on. I-want-to-hack-in-Carver's-head..." Eddie began to sing, the beat of his lyrics based off that song "I want to ride my bicycle" that Wyatt remembered faintly from a time period nearly two years and a few months gone, A period when they had music and warm food and other luxuries.

Now, Wyatt was stuck hacking a trench into the earth, with the dozen ends of rifle's trained on his ass. Trying hard to stay alive, having his retarded best friend trying to get them all into song which would... A) Draw Walkers and get them killed or B) Piss of Carver and get them shot. So many cheerful options, or there was option C, which was _Get my best friend to shut the fuck up and live!_

"Eddie, I'm begging you for once your life, shut up!" Wyatt hissed as one of the stern faced guards passed them, thankfully for Wyatt he simply walked on.

"Ah come on, just trying to lighten the mood" Eddie said as he continued to plough into the hard earth.

"Yeah... well you can do that... when were not slaving away with guns trained on our asses" Wyatt informed him, as the sharp end of the pickaxe pierced further into the soil. Imagining the soil as Carver's face was Wyatt's only way to stay sane. Others no doubt felt the same... (particularly at Kenny, who seemed determined to get to the centre of the earth at the rate he was hacking away at the ground).

"You're such a miserable fat asshole you know?" Eddie told him.

"I've always been the miserable fat asshole, so what's changed?" Wyatt responded unaffected as beads of salty sweat rolled down his forehead, it was annoying how he had to take off his glasses to wipe his eyes and brow and then put them back on again.

"So we take out Carver? Then what Wyatt?" Eddie asked.

"Then we party hard, duh brain" Wyatt told him simply.

"Regarding the amount of people that will be dead at the end of this, I doubt anyone will want to have a party" Russell snapped at them, from where he was digging from next to them.

"Ah, It's Russell the optimistic fountain of encouragement!" Eddie exclaimed to the heavens, before he quickly returned to work, before any could catch him not hacking at the ground. Russell simply rolled his eyes at Eddie's sarcastic outburst.

"You two idiots aren't taking this seriously! are you!?" he demanded of them, as Wyatt sighed.

"His just on his period, because his with us peasants now" Wyatt told a laughing Eddie, as Russell seethed at the side of them. As much as Wyatt knew it could be cruel... winding up Russell was too much fun. The young man was very serious about things and would hardly ever take a joke in stride. Russell himself was a good guy deep down, just hardened to the world and naturally grumpy.

"I can't believe the day I'm in slave labour, they suddenly get the guard back on the roof" Russell snapped as the guards on the roof shot through any approaching walkers from the treeline. As Russell gritted his teeth and grunted "Well If Bill thinks his making himself look good with this guard... it's failing. Half the people I spoke too are against him"

"And yet Rebecca only sold you out, it must be an honour to be such a rebel Russ" Wyatt clasped his back, as Russell's eyes narrowed in anger.

Yet that knowledge had passed down the line. Clementine continued to dig away... as she became more convinced that Rebecca hadn't betrayed them. If she had done why not grass up the badly shaven man? and the others who were no doubt wannabe rebels? What happened to the people who were going to distract Carver? Rebecca heard that part of the plan, yet she hadn't grassed up those rebels. The more she thought about it. The more it made sense.

She was aware of the day rapidly becoming evening, the group had to stop to rest several times that day. The only good news was that the trench was now nearly 4 foot deep and wide the whole way around the hardware store. So it could stop the most basic of walkers from simply stumbling up to the hardware store. Although it was still not deep enough to trap all of them. and another problem was moving the bodies from the muddy brown earth... that morning had seen a mass clear-out of walker bodies that had gotten stuck in the small trench and that took a while...

Even when the trench was finished, clearing out the walkers would be a dangerous task. Some of them could have still been alive and (as Bonnie nearly found out a week or so back) supposedly "dead" walkers could snap up back to life and bite you. Clementine knew that sooner or later Carver was going to work them to death somehow.

Hence the rebellion needed to happen. If they were too live. If Clementine wanted her second chance to actually count.

As the sky turned a shade of peaceful indigo. Kenny was called inside to work in the armoury (as the workforce had been focused on the trenches all day, they were slowly required elsewhere) to Clementine's delight, she, Luke and Jane names were also bellowed out by Troy as he approached the sweat drenched pen dwellers.

"Jane and Luke! You're in the greenhouses! Bill expects a fuck ton of food to be harvested, so get to work!" he instructed them, as the pair of them set off. He looked down at Clementine with disgust uttering... "You little lady... Bill wants your nimble fingers to work on the scarp. He expects some useful salvage" he growled at her, as she nodded and set off alone towards the room she and Stephanie had worked in and the room Rebecca had given birth in.

Passing the hanger door, she couldn't help but feel as if the hardware store was... empty. Carver had killed off a lot of his own people and those that remained either stood high and mighty, on top of food packed shelves with their guns held proudly to their chest. Pacing the store slowly, with a cocky swag in their steps. As those lower than them, cowered in the shadows... bent over and continuing to whisper, Clementine didn't want to listen to them, as her guard escorted her to the salvage room. Her yellow eyes were gazing at mix black and white tiles on the floor and the running wires spread across the floor.

The guard left her at the room, where a large pile of rusting junk stood awaiting Clementine on the metal desk. Sighing, she plopped herself on the seat (glad to be sitting down) yet he arms still pumped in pain as she tried to raise them to check through this mess...

Yet as she did she heard the door creak open behind her, as a lone figure quickly swooped inside, as Clementine turned to see the bright blue shirt that Rebecca had worn the past was back on her. The jumpsuit was gone, as Rebecca herself smiled at her.

"Hey Clem" she smiled, without even hesitating Clementine crashed into the older woman for a hug as she muttered to Rebecca "Nice betrayal by the way"

They broke apart, as Rebecca beamed down at her, "Thanks, I think I managed to convince a lot of people, but I knew it wouldn't fool you baby girl. You're too smart for that" she mused, as Clementine felt relief crash over her gut. She knew she was right, that Rebecca hadn't betrayed them at all, but too here her actually say it... it was a good feeling.

"But why didn't you tell us? and what are you planning?" Clementine quickly inquired of Rebecca.

"Well... I figured by not telling you the reactions would be more genuine and boy was I right, besides, it seemed to convince Bill that I was on his side" she muttered as she gazed back at the door nervously.

"Does he know you're here?"

"No, I've been sneaking around. I just managed to explain myself to Kenny and I'm trying to get around to everybody whose being brought back in here. I gotta make this quick, because if Bill catches us talking, his going to get suspicious"

Clementine nodded as Rebecca dove straight into her plan.

"Okay, Bill has one guy stationed outside the pen. If you started that rebellion last night, he would have shot you down instantly. But... with me out here, I can deal with him. With him out of the way, I'll deal with Bill too. Once that one guy's dead, some of the other guards here will bust you outta the pen and then you can raise hell but..." she paused as she looked downwards with hatred "Leave Bill to me"

Clementine gulped "Rebecca, you can't kill two people" she gasped, as Rebecca simply gave her a small smirk.

"Kenny said the same. But you know Alvin was... best man I ever met and he killed George when we first escaped. If he can do that, then I know that I can too. Because I'm a much worse person than Alvin" there was a hint of sadness in her tone as she spoke. Yet there was also determination laced into it.

"And what if this other guy kills you first?" Clementine asked.

"Then the guards will break you out anyway, but expect hell" she grimly informed Clementine as Rebecca gazed back towards the door.

"I'm still discussing it with the other guards. Were still trying to prepare every detail... but in a few days at most, this is gonna happen Clementine" Rebecca told her as the sounds of an approaching guard made Rebecca freeze.

"Shit! I better go" she hissed preparing to leave.

"Wait! Rebecca, Luke and Jane are in the greenhouses! You could try getting to them too!" Clementine quickly gave this information to the curly brown haired woman, as she nodded and muttered "Thanks Clem" before leaving her alone in the dark room once again.

Her heart still fluttering in her chest, Clementine took her seat once again, yet she sorted through the scarp, but with more enthusiasm than she had ever felt before.

Rebecca had a plan. The rebellion was truly beginning. Maybe her second chance would be a success after all.

* * *

"You can pick berries right?"

"No I'm missing two arms, In case ya didn't notice"

Jane couldn't help but smile at Luke's sarcastic comment, they had already harvested a ton of food from the thick plants around them and were now onto berries. Carver's favourite fruit apparently.

"It's nice to know in spite of everything, Carver still likes to give us our five a day" Jane commented dryly, dropping a few ripe berries into the wooden bowl below her as Luke laughed heartily at her comment. She liked... no she loved his laugh. It was deep and resounding and cracked through her icy exterior and made the upper coroners of her lips twitch upwards slightly.

She was smiling. Something she never did when she was by herself, thinking about life before and her lost sister as she was surrounded by nothing of the rotting corpses that simply walked and ate... being around the dead for so many months had made her as cold and as dead inside as one of them. Of course she had learnt how to survive.

_But she had forgotten how to live. _

Before, she and her sister had travelled from group to group. They cracked and splintered, arguments over food and shelter had driven them over the edge as Jane and Jamie always fled just before the groups self destructed and it would always be Jane who found members of their former group as walkers. She was always the one who had to put them down.

Countless times after she had done this... she didn't feel much, and after she left Jamie she became inhuman. She may as well have been a walking corpse herself, focused only on walking and eating and simply surviving... she had a strong will to live and that kept her going, but she never had enjoyed one shitty situation after the other being thrown at her...

"I wonder if Bill will start handing out cookies any time soon?" Luke asked randomly, breaking Jane's train of thought as she looked over at him.

They had become much closer in 24 hours. After she handed him his old locket, the stayed up... just talking for hours. Luke opened up too her... about his past as a businessman. How he much guilt he kept bottled inside of him over what happened to his friend Nick, how much he loved his parents and a range of other things... after he finished Jane found herself talking back...

From Jamie, to the groups she had to abandon to being alone for months after Jamie died, she let it all out. How she felt as shitty as walker at some points and how much guilt she felt towards what happened to Jamie. Luke took her hand in his own, he gave her a look of understanding, and that was all she needed. She didn't need to showered in "I'm sorry's" to feel any better. Just by looking at Luke and hearing him speak... she knew that he was just like her. They shared so much guilt that ate away at their tough outer shells.

In response to his question regarding cookies Jane simply answered "Carver gives out cookies and pigs can fly" she told him in a bored tone, before she knew it she felt Luke behind her, as he began to tickle her wildly. "Aw, come on Jane, lighten up!" he exclaimed, as she laughed out loud in bliss... she didn't have to hold a stern face or keep her silence any more... she was free to express her joy... her happiness...

Jane tumbled to the floor, as Luke tripped and fell directly on top of her. The situation was awkward to say the least as their faces were inches apart and their bodies were pressed against each other. From under their jumpsuits they could both feel each other...

as the laughter died down... arousal began to seep into it's place.

Luke noticed how the look in Jane's eyes softened, as her black eyes turned a beautiful shade of near orange as she muttered softly to him "How long has been Luke?"

"Two years" he panted back. Hypnotized by her heart shaped face. She was a pretty girl... no... not pretty... beautiful, his heart was beating faster in his chest, him and Jane were both already drenched in sweat from their earlier labour, and now... she was drawn to every strand of his damp dark brown hair, while he was absent mindedly running his hand through her pixie like haircut...

"How about you?" He nervously asked her back, feeling his face get warmer than it already was.

"Same... I've been craving... something... for so long now" she uttered her hand clamped on Luke's damp hair. She was aware that both of them were breathing faster as they became lost in each other, slowly but surely.

"I've been craving... someone like you" he admitted, their lips inches apart.

The sexual tension in the greenhouse reached a peak, Luke looked up quickly to ensure that nobody was watching them as he leaned back down to where Jane was watching him with those eyes of her's.

"What do you want Jane?" he asked her, his warm breath on her face, warmed her up from the inside.

Her reply was short and simple and honest.

"I... I want to feel alive again" Jane could barely believe she was cracking up as her eyes welled with tears, as she wanted this so badly, she couldn't explain it, Luke wiped away a crystal clear tear that was rolling down her cheek with his thumb before he softly told her.

"Then come here"

The next thing they knew, they were both kissing each other deeply, the temperature in the greenhouse seemed to sky-rocket as they became lost in each other...

* * *

Rebecca had to ensure no guard was tailing her, as she quickly sprinted across the roof and into the greenhouse.

She closed the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief, she hand't been spotted so she could speak to Luke and Jane about the plan, Yet before she could call out their names she quickly noticed two things.

The glass inside the greenhouses was steamed, she moved her hand away from the wet glass, leaving her handprint stain on the glass, and then she heard the noises... coming from the corner of the greenhouse.

She crept over and peered upwards...

and then ducked her head back down again, blushing furiously and trying hard to stifle her old girlish like giddy giggles that lingered in her throat. She was young once... but really? Now? They could have picked worst times... but this was full on... oh how was she was going to break this up?

A new prospect arose in her head, a dare she had always been willing to try since her teenage years. Yet she had never gotten to use it... she guessed now was the time. She stood up once again and walked over to where Luke and Jane were... "doing their business" she eventually stepped into the range of vision of the pair of them. They didn't notice her of course... so it looked like she had to do this.

She put on her sassiest voice, as she bellowed...

"BREAK IT UP! YA NASTIES!"

What happened in the greenhouse, stayed in the greenhouse. Rebecca told them the plan and walked off, sworn to secrecy.

Luke and Jane got back to work after that. Both pink faced, trying to put the incident behind them.

But their reaction upon being caught, was a memory that Rebecca would happily cherish and chuckle at until the day she died.


	37. You Got A Plan?

**A/N: Thanks for the continued reviews!**

**Lockdown- That "scene" was awkward to write, but now it's out of the way I think you can establish Luke and Jane are now an item and thanks for the review!**

**Eggomypeggo- Thanks! I really appreciate that you think I should have wrote season 2, you're kind of reviews keep me motivated and writing and I'm no near out of steam yet. **

**Maximo- Wow, loads of people are complimenting me regarding the last chapter, but better than season 1? That means a hell of a lot to me, I don't think this fic is as good as season 1, I simply wrote it as what I would change in Season 2 (from episode 3 onwards) **

**swiftlavignee- Thanks! I'm surprised so many took a shine to this fic as it's my first and I expected it not do as well. But 200 plus reviews? Over 40 favourites? Those figures alone keep me writing and motivated. **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thank you as always. and I reckon this is our first disagreement as I would save Nick. You made great points for saving Sarah, but I grew to like Nick more (as much as I liked Sarah) as much as I'd regret killing Sarah it would take her a while to adapt and grow in the apocalypse. Whereas Nick (as much as a loose cannon as he is) will have grown loyal to Clementine and is already knows how grim the world really is, I could see him remaining loyal to Clem and protecting her till the end. **

**I originally planned for this story to be much shorter, I reckon I'm aiming at 50-odd chapters (maybe less) before I finish this. _If_ the rebellion were to succeed I reckon I would add an epilogue. But you'll have to wait and see. **

**and finally AquaDesintysEmbrace thank you for your review! and the best part of chapter 19 was Tess beating Carver to death, can't wait to see what you've got coming. **

* * *

"You got everything?"

"You think I'd leave it" Sarah told him, both of them were crawling into bed, during their "dinner" of canned foods that evening they had found new clothing. Folding up their old clothes, Nick was glad to finally get out of his dirty black t-shirt and army patterned trousers that seemed to be getting tighter on him. As he slipped into some some stale (yet cleaner) plain black (yet more loose) jogging bottoms. He also draped himself in a thick blue jacket that could conserve body heat.

The two of them nitpicked through the piles of clothing in the cupboards, eventually Sarah managed to find similar plain black trousers that fit her and put on a green hoodie, "I don't like the colour" she admitted as she placed it on herself.

"Well it ain't about looking cute, this should keep you warm and keep you camouflaged" Nick told her comparing her navy green hoodie, to the lush green vegetation from outside of the cabin. It seemed as though in this... Sarah had even more chance of surviving.

"I guess that makes sense" Sarah told him, as she smiled shyly.

Night fell sooner rather than later, with their stomachs full and with their minds made up to walk back to the hardware store at early morning. Nick and Sarah lay down on the double bed once again.

"Today was a good day" Sarah mused happily to him as Nick looked up to the black celling above him.

"Yeah it was" Nick agreed, his treasured photos all now secure in his shoes. (His Uncle Pete used to store things, mostly money, into his shoes all the time) Nick thought it was stupid and at the time. But seeing as things could fall out of pockets (and caps) he had decided to finally follow his uncle's wise ideas.

"Night" Sarah called out to him.

"Night" Nick grunted back, falling into an easy slumber.

* * *

In contrast, Clementine walked into a pen that couldn't have been more awake or alert.

Kenny (as per always) was leading tonight's discussion. Clementine placed herself on her seat, these nightly discussions made her feel like she was the guest on one of those talk shows she used to watch with her parents a lifetime ago...

"... I don't care if she didn't really betray us! You need weeks to recover from childbirth, she can't straight out murder two people!" Russell was ranting to Kenny. Tonight's argument seemed pretty intense, as everyone was leaning further forwards out from their seats. The fire in the centre of the pen, may as well have been symbolic for the fire inside everyone tonight.

"She can do it! If she doesn't we still rebel, we gotta try this time! No more damn deals! Clem and Rebecca have got us into the best position possible here, but now's the time to strike!" Kenny exclaimed clasping his large hands together for extra effect, as Russell merely rolled his eyes.

"Russell thinks were being too hasty with our rebellion. Everyone else thinks that bullshit, me included" Mike told a blank faced Clementine. She had begun to grow to trust the ex-fireman to give her the latest news in a calm manner and not force the news down her throat. Accepting this with a nod she turned back to see what Russell had to say.

"Some of us are going to die! Why can't we just try and dispose of Carver without the need of full on fucking bloodbath!?" Russell demanded of everyone else.

"Look here _boy_, you haven't suffered like we have. That fucker killed Walter and Alvin! Oh and let's not forget Reggie, Becca, Nick and Sarah, those 12 rebels! and those 9 guards yesterday! And then he stripped us and beat our asses! That fucker has put us through hell and I have no intention of letting me, Sarita or anyone else go through that again!" Kenny was screaming now, he finished his rant panting heavily. Leaving a heavy and profound silence among the pen dwellers.

"Hear, Hear, give the man a medal!" Wyatt finally spoke up.

"His right, we have too dispose of Bill as soon as possible Russell" Shel began, she looked around too see all attention was on her as she continued "I lost my sister to that madman and I happily die just to ensure that no one else suffered like I did. Look, we've accepted some of us will die during this rebellion, but it has to happen Russell, either we die fighting against that madman or die working for him. I know which one I'd prefer" Shel concluded as Kenny smiled.

"Thank you Shel... oh yeah Clementine" he called out, as his eyes locked on her as if she had noticed she was there for the first time.

"Yeah" she said. Unsure of where this was going or if Kenny wanted her to do something.

"Do you remember Vernon and that group from Savannah?"

Clementine look of bewilderment must have displayed to everyone, at the random question that had come out of nowhere. Russell himself outright asked "What the hell has that got to do with anything? You're just changing the subject" he accused Kenny.

"This is between me and her and I want her to know this" Kenny replied.

"What about Vernon and that group?" Clementine interjected quickly as Russell opened his mouth, Before Russell could shout over Kenny. Kenny dived into his explanation.

"You know how they stole the boat we found? Well Shel and Stephanie here said what remained of their group lost the boat, and that Vernon and all of them died" he finished there abruptly, expecting Clementine's response, after a full minute of solid staring she eventually had to ask him "What?" she was supposed to feel.

"What? What matters Clementine is the fucker who ruined our first chance of finding an island is dead! I thought you'd be happy with that news. I know I am" Kenny mused as Clementine continued to stare at him in silence. Vernon had hardly ever spoken to her and she hadn't seen the rest of the group. When she asked Omid and Christa about what happened to the boat, they told her it was stolen from the cancer survivors, Clementine didn't feel anything. She barely knew these people so she couldn't fully hate them for it...

Yet, Kenny seemed too.

"They were nice people! They regretted taking that boat you know?" Stephanie spoke up, standing up for her dead friends. (Especially Boyd, who had always been kind to her and was the main person to fight her corner and convince Roman to give her a second chance after Shel and Becca left). She would not sit here and listen to him being insulted from beyond the grave and not do anything about it.

"Regardless they still stole our boat!" Kenny angrily told them.

"This Vernon guy was the main guy who wanted to steal your boat, Joyce, Clive and Boyd regretted it. As I much as I agree with your ideas Kenny, the fact that you're happy about the deaths of some helpless, elderly, cancer patients, makes me worry about you Kenny" Shel seemed to finish her lecture glaring at Kenny who merely responded with "Look, I'm sorry if I offended you, but I never liked Vernon..."

"Look as charming as this whole conversation is, can we-get-back-to-the-point!" Russell demanded, his thick black brows furrowed downwards in growing fury.

"Our rebellion plan is set in stone" Jane told him from where she and Luke sat next to each other. Their hands were interlinked, yet no one seemed to be paying much attention to them, other than Bonnie. Whose blue orbs would fly back to the new couple, before quickly shifting away, a look of sadness flickering on her freckled face.

"So what do you want to discuss then?" Russell shot at Jane.

"I want to talk more about that boat plan Kenny and Clem had" Jane answered as she looked over to Kenny and Clementine. Clementine decided to explain.

"Well... we were in Savannah and we tried to find a boat, but all of them were already gone. We found one... but that got stolen as you just heard about. Our plan was too find an island, because walkers can't swim, we thought we could find a true safe haven on a small island with no walkers" Clementine informed Jane. Back in Savannah she was too keen on finding her parents to focus much on the plan, but now she was older and understood more (aided with Christa and Omid's knowledge).

Jane's brows lifted in surprise, "Thinking far ahead, that might be a really good idea to reboot" she stated.

"What?" Sarita inquired.

"Look, if something goes wrong here and this Wellington place you guys keep going on about, turns out to be overrun or some fantasy, then what?" she asked of the group as the looked down, without an answer.

"I don't think we need to think that far ahead Jane" Luke told her softly.

"There's every chance, that even if we do take this place over. It might eventually fall. And then our plan is to get to Wellington and if we make it there and things are shit, then what? There's every chance something like that could happen" Jane told them as she ruffled her hair before continuing "But this finding a boat plan, seems like a good Plan C. Wellington is in Michigan right? So when we get there..."

"There are lakes" Kenny said as his eyes brightened "Freshwater lakes and loads of small islands, we could easily find a safe haven there and there has to be a few boats somewhere!" he exclaimed. He was getting excited over this prospect, Clementine supposed that this was a better thing to get excited about than the death of a elderly man he didn't like.

"This is brilliant! Why didn't you speak up before!?" Kenny asked in awe to Jane, who simply turned shrugged him off. "Let's just say I'm feeling talkative, but I've seen groups crack before. Mainly because they don't have an aim, other than just surviving, people need to think ahead if you're going to survive this" Jane explained proudly. Admittedly she had wondered around aimlessly for months before she stumbled across Howard's Hardware, but now, with Luke's by her side and watching the group work together... her hope in humanity and actually finding salvation was returning.

"Yeah, I hate to break this up, but we haven't even executed Plan A yet, so before we get to Plan Z, can we _please_ get back the fucking point!" Russell nagged as Kenny rounded on him.

"The plan is set in stone like Jane said, what more is there to discuss?" he asked of the hot headed man. Russell's pointed a single finger at Sarita.

"What, me?" Sarita asked, she was as confused as everybody else.

"What's the deal with my girl?" Kenny growled as Russell began to explain.

"Okay Kenny so I agree with you, we fuck shit up and shoot everyone we see. But can _she?" _he asked again gesturing at Sarita, as Sarita froze and looked at Kenny with wide eyes.

"What do you mean? Sarita here had to kill that rebel, she can damn well kill a few assholes now" He told Russell yet to his surprise, Sarita shook her head violently "Kenny... I... I'm not like you" she uttered sadly, her gaze finding the floor.

"What? Sarita... baby..." he cooed softly, ducking his head to meet Sarita at eye level, as she bowed her head to the floor "Sarita, if you can kill that rebel. I know you have it in you to shoot some assholes" he encouraged her softly as she shook her head once again.

"I... never shot a person before" she admitted quietly.

"Sarita, I need to know you have my back" He told her, yet Sarita looked up angrily as she muttered harshly "You keep saying just because I killed that rebel that I can now automatically kill everyone I meet!? It's not that straightforward Kenny!" she was panting in rage now as she collapsed into her hands, sobbing lightly as Kenny pulled her closer.

"Sarita... I... I'm sorry. I just... I didn't think that through. Okay? It's just I have to know if some fucker was about to shoot me, or Clementine or anyone here. Would you be willing to pull the trigger to save us?" he begged of her as she looked up with her shiny black marbles of eyes.

"I... I know I'd do anything to save you... but... pushing someone to their death is one thing... but I cannot imagine myself shooting people so causally" she shivered as Kenny pulled her to his chest "You're going to do it Sarita. You are. I know you can..."

As Kenny continued to encourage a still upset Sarita, Luke also spoke up "Look, I ain't too comfortable with killin' people like that either" he admitted to the group as Jane rounded on him.

"Not you as well, you of all people should know what assholes these guys are" She snapped.

"Look, I'll do it! But I won't like doing it! I just think it's wrong and makes us stoop to their level!" he quickly ushered out to Jane. Eager not to upset her, as they had just gotten so close.

"Luke, you're a nice guy and I don't want you to lose the morales you have. But were better than them, because we'll make their deaths quick. It's not a cruel thing to do, it's necessary. Besides we'll be giving them a much more quick and merciful death than they would ever give us" she concluded as others agreed with her point.

"Yeah, we just need them outta the way. We don't strip them down, and beat them and make them work to death" Mike said, backing up Jane's point as Luke gave an uncertain nod.

A sudden rattling at the shutter, turned all heads as Troy and Stan stood there. "STEPHANIE! JANE! YOU'RE REQUIRED FOR A JOB UP FRONT!" Troy roared at them. Jane stood up with a sour look on her heart shaped face.

"They may as well say, we'd like a fuck now. It's kinda obvious to everyone" she muttered, but before she could stride forward, Luke stood up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to do this, not anymore" he said with a longing, as she shook his hand loose.

"Relax and don't get jealous big guy. This will be the last time that fucker touches me I promise it" she told him softly, she quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and muttered "I'll see you later" as she walked over to the shutter. Stephanie hot on her heels.

Stephanie was in deep thought. Wondering if she... yes... she would have too. The more she thought about it however. The more her stomach twisted in uncomfortable knots. But she had decided that earlier that day, that she _had_ to do it.

It would be the final nail in the coffin for Carver and the thing that would drive everyone still sitting on the fence over to the pen dwellers side, despite the massive damage this would do to her. This was a sacrifice she was willing to take, in order to ensure their victory.

As they left the pen Luke sat back down again with a lost look on his face.

"Well... get in there bro!"Eddie told him clasping him back, as Luke smiled shyly.

"Thanks, I'm lucky to have her" he mused to a beaming Eddie.

"So... when did this start?" Shel asked in curiosity, she was smirking slightly, but she always loved it when people got together.

"Well... today in the greenhouses, it was a kiss and nothing more" Luke lied. No way, would he ever admit to anybody, he had been caught by Rebecca having wild sex with Jane.

Before Eddie could probe him further on the matter, one guard yelled from behind the shutter "GET TO BED YOU LOT!" which sent the pen dwellers slowly from their seats and into their bunks. Clementine had been rather silent this time round, but glad in the knowledge that the group were no longer relying on an 11 year old to make all the plans for them. Jane was proving a great asset to the group, now that she had dropped her cold exterior. If Jane believed this rebellion could work. Clementine believed it could too.

Crawling into her bunk she closed her eyes. As the others slept on. She was ready. She was eager to get out of this bunk and out of this pen and for the first time in a long time, actually reside in a safe haven and live happily.

Even if the community fell later on due to walkers or bandits. Overthrowing this community would be a memory she could treasure for the rest of her days.

Clementine would beat William Carver.

* * *

Nick had no nightmares that night, instead he found his eyes slowly opening, as his eyes adjusted to the pitch black of the night of the room around him. Seems like he had woken up too early, which felt odd. He still felt groggy as if he...

He realised then, that a pair of smaller hands were shaking his torso. Lifting his head from the pillow he could hear Sarah hissing at him in urgency "Nick... Nick..."

"What" he grumbled stupidly, his eyes still half open.

A sudden crash from downstairs made him bolt upwards, as she muttered "I heard them banging on the door..." she squeaked at him.

From downstairs he could hear the footsteps of several people, he felt his gut turn to ice.

"The door was locked for a reason. Check the damn cabin!" came a muffled, male, voice. But a deep one... one Nick recognised as...

"Shit" he muttered aloud.

It was that guy. Steve. Those bandits who were at the trailer park had found their way here.

And Nick could hear them rapidly stomping up the wooden stairs of the cabin, right towards their room...


	38. Oh Lilly! I Don't Feel Safe!

**A/N: Okay, nearly at 250 reviews my next aim! Thanks for everybody whose stuck by this story for so long. I can see it lasting until chapter 50 at most.**

**apathy- Thank you, Jane's getting easier to write now that I can mould her into my own sort of character and the 400 days characters are a delight to write about and expand on. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Nope, Kenny's too stubborn. (But his a blast to write) and I'll be sure to leave more reviews for your story!**

**Eggopeggo- Thanks! Your review means a lot! **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for your review! Running into Steve again is slightly unrealistic, but It will serve an important plot purpose (as you'll discover this chapter) and I'm glad you're enjoying the story! So stay awesome (unfortunately I've run out of ideas at the moment)**

**P.S If this story was an actually episode which choice would be the hardest for you to make?**

**and Maximo, Rebloxic and Lockdown thank you all for the continued support. **

* * *

BANG

The bedroom door nearly flew off it's hinges as it crashed against the wooden wall of the cabin.

Two men peered inside the room, only to see an empty bedroom gazing back at them.

"NOTHIN' IN HERE STEVE!" One of the men yelled, closing the door behind him, Nick and Sarah had laid perfectly still under the bed, during that time as Sarah looked at Nick nervously.

"Now what?" she whispered.

"The window" Nick said looking at it. Knowing there was no way in hell they would be getting out through the front door.

As Nick and Sarah slowly crawled up from up the bed and towards the window, as they did Nick heard a muffled voice from downstairs "Nope, nothing upstairs Steve" a man said.

"There has to be somebody lurking. You two guard the outside, me and Lilly will check the upstairs again. Just to be sure" Steve growled with a malice in his voice. Hearing the approaching creak of their footsteps made Nick dart to the nearby window, but he ducked down in the nick of time and muttered "Shit!"

"What's a matter?" Sarah asked.

"Three of them are outside! They'll spot us if we try to sneak out that way" He muttered through gritted teeth, as the footsteps creaked dangerously outside the door.

"Quick! Under the bed!" Nick hissed at Sarah, she managed to silently drag herself and the heavy bag of meds, in the dark dusty space under the bed without making a single side. Nick struggled however, as he was a tall man and bending his legs and arms into such a small space required effort. With a new sheen of sweat developing on his forehead, he managed to pull his ankle out of sight, just as the bedroom door opened once again.

"... I don't think she'll be here Lilly..." Steve was saying. Nick nervously watched his legs as they paced around the room. His chin resting on his wrist, where his golden watch ticked away. He hoped this noise wouldn't attract their attention, in fact he could barely breathe at all, all Steve had to do was look under the bed and it was game over.

To his sheer relief, Steve didn't. He peeked in the cupboard and the drawers, but he didn't think about looking under the bed. To make things even worse, the woman sat on the bed above them as Nick heard her sigh as he watched Steve's jeans place themselves next to her, as he also sat on the bed. Forming two large lumps above them, Nick and Sarah had to inhale and shuffle themselves slightly, so Steve or Lilly couldn't feel anything under the bed.

"Well, we came across a great place Lilly. But she ain't here" Steve told the woman (Lilly) with a murmur.

"I know she's around Steve. She's the only piece of my past I have left" Lilly said, she had a sharp sounding voice. However Nick couldn't care less about what they were on about, he was too busy listening to the sound of his own rapidly beating heart in his ears.

"Well... do you reckon _their_ around?" Steve asked after a short silence in which Nick didn't seem to breathe, he had a good guess on who they were on about and sure enough when Lilly answered, he knew their fate was sealed.

"Those two. They had to have come through here at one point, the door wasn't locked due to a fucking coincidence"

"They looked like an odd pair, lugging around that heavy bag with them, must have had something worthwhile inside"

"For all we know, they could be dead now. I still have to find her Steve, that teenager and the tall man we've been tracking. They don't mean shit to me. This little girl... she does" the woman called Lilly said in a determined tone. This still failed to interest Nick, his mind was only focused on escape, as his eyes flickered to anywhere, that presented an opening...

"This little girl you're on about. I told you ages ago that she's as good as dead and you're basing this whole theory on a _drawing_ you found?" he asked her, with a light trace in humour in his voice. Nick could sense the aggression the woman's response as she snarled "I know she drew that, I didn't see her draw that, but look (she pulled out a crinkled piece of paper from her pocket, Nick couldn't see) this man, woman and child. They were part of group I was once with. There's no way it ended up here by mistake" she concluded.

"Or maybe bandits killed her a long time ago. Stole her stuff and then they dropped it?" Steve suggested.

"I don't think even those fuckers in the body bags would loot a corpse of a little girl just for a drawing" she snapped, as she rubbed her hands on her face. "I keep telling you Steve, I have to find her, it's the only way to make it up to Lee..."

At this point Nick's interest in the conversation was aroused. "Lee, Lee, Lee" he kept repeating that name in his head, knowing it had come from somewhere. Knowing he had heard it before and it seemed like a urgent matter to remember it. Yet to his frustration he couldn't place a face, or even a faint memory on where he had heard the name before. But knowing it was one of those obvious things he should have known, and that the answer was slapping him in the face.

"If Lee hadn't have let me stay, I would never have taken the RV and I'd be dead on the road somewhere" she continued, recounting her tale to Steve for the millionth time, as he spoke up.

"And you wouldn't have found us. You caught us just after Russ left and seven is the lucky number in this group" he said as Lilly nodded slowly, before chuckling slightly "I still remember you threatening me Steve, saying you'd shoot me at gunpoint and all..."

"You had some spunk that's for sure. Look how far we've come since then" He happily told her, as she nodded once again. as they were engulfed by a silence, before Steve began to talk about another member of their group "Heather was the same age as Russ, she says she's fine with killing people. But Rob tells me she cries at night. I don't want her pulling another Russell on us..."

As he spoke on, Nick felt Sarah tugging the sleeve on his trousers, he turned to face her.

"What?" he mouthed.

Her lips moved, but Nick couldn't decipher the words in the darkness, eventually the hissed whisper of "Russell" prickled at his ears. It took him a second to place it, before he realised...

_Russell_. Russell was one of the guards back at Howard's Hardware. A miserable young man who had clashed with Nick many times (especially as Carver gained more power, and Nick and his group fell out of favour with Carver). Russell used to angrily complain aloud (to anyone listening) about his first group consisting of a guy named Steve who would shoot anyone on site. He would argue that William Carver was a better alternative than a group like that. Nick disagreed completely, which only caused further beef between the pair.

He guessed now, he had found the group that Russell used to complain about. The so called "Lucky Seven" had been reduced to six with Russell's departure but now, this new woman "Lilly" had replaced Russell. Henceforth, Nick know knew about the background of this particular group of bandits.

Not that it helped calm him, in the slightest.

Yet, he was amazed that Sarah had remembered that detail. Either she and Russell were closer than he originally thought (which was highly unlikely, as Nick usually saw Sarah super-glued to Carlos and not interact much with anybody else) or else she was using her head and her wits when a time where Nick found it impossible to do so.

As the discussion on the other group member ended, Nick listened in as Lilly and Steve began another discussion about the mass group, using Walker skins to get around. He caught a quickl glimpse of their faces. Steve had to be in his late 40's to early 50's bold on top. With a deep wrinkles craved into his pale face, he had heavy eyebrows, a hooked nose and black-ish eyes that seemed to reflect no sense of warmth what-so ever.

The woman, Lilly. Had to be in her mid 30's, she was fairly plain looking, with her small brown chestnut eyes, a long drawn nose and permanent scowl etched onto her face. As she looked at Steve or across the room, Nick noticed a the age lines slowly starting to develop on her face, as her long brown hair that trailed down her back, was messy and unwashed (like so many other people these days).

"So, do you reckon the girl you're looking for is in that crazy cult of walker people?" Steve asked of Lilly, as Nick and Sarah listened in. Eager for more information about the "Walker Wannabe Religious Society" or "The WWRS" as Nick had labelled them.

"No way, I could never see Lee or her going to a group like that... but fuck... how many members do they have? 300? 400?"

"About that much, got a giant camp on the mountains east of here. Their fucking nuts, they'd shoot down anybody who doesn't want to join their little cult" Steve informed Lilly (and unknowingly Nick and Sarah) but Nick didn't really find it helpful or too informative.

"Well we just have to keep avoiding them then" Lilly said causally, as she stood up off the bed and turned back to Steve "I think there's another big community around here somewhere" she told him.

"I know, distant gunshots at night, and that girl and that man we've been following had to have come from somewhere" Steve agreed with her, as Nick learnt that these bandits had not yet discovered Howard's Hardware. But he doubted the seven of them would manage to overthrow Carver.

"Well, we'll stay here for the night. Seems pretty cosy..." Steve began before Lilly suddenly silenced him with a wave of her hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Is... there a clock in here Steve?"

Nick knew what she had heard instantly, he practically ripped his ticking golden watch from his wrist and placed it under his torso to muffle the sound it was making. He hoped his sudden movement hadn't made any noise, as he nervously watched Lilly's shoes from across the room, as the silence slowly engulfed the room and buzzing filled Nick's ears.

"I must be going crazy, I thought I heard ticking" She told him, as Steve also stood up.

"Must be from downstairs, let's go see if those idiots have found something" he muttered as (to Nick's sheer relief) he watched the bottom of the door swing open and heard Lilly and Steve descend the wooden stairs. Certain that they were gone, he quickly pushed himself from under the bed. Massaging his aching legs, as dust and sweat coated Sarah followed his lead, as she did she tiptoed to the large window opposite to the double bed.

"No one's out there, I think" She told Nick nervously, as she peered outside, adjusting her new black rimmed glasses on her slippery, slide, of a nose.

Nick looked out to see that the earlier guards has obviously shifted elsewhere. Nervously he slowly pushed open the large square panelled window. It didn't make any noise as the cold night air chilled the exposed parts of Nick's skin.

"Okay... climb out the roof and jump to the floor. The second you hit the floor, run for the treeline, I'll be right behind you" Nick reassured a clammy looking Sarah. Sarah remembered that this was the room she spent most of her time sealed in.

This was the room she hid from Carver in.

However this was also the room she had first learned to shoot in. But she didn't actually get to shoot anything.

She was leaving "_This room_" and her old life forever, as she stepped out into the cold night, dressed as a survivalist, the bag of meds and other supplies, still swinging from where she gripped the top of it. Her feet found the tiled roof, as she nervously made her way forward. Nick followed hot on her heel, looking down she saw that the drop from this roof and the bare ground, was quite a hard one.

But one she could make without dying.

"After three, okay?" Nick told her. All of their supplies they had on them.

"Three" Nick muttered.

The silence reigned as Sarah's legs shook... she could do this... she could make this jump.

"Two..."

Almost there...

"One..."

Sarah let the bag of meds fall from her fingers onto the floor below here and with a deep breath, she let leapt from the roof, for nearly 2 seconds she fell, before she hit the floor uneasily. Yet she wasn't damaged anywhere, picking herself up and grabbing the bag of meds from next to her, she heard Nick crash into the ground next to her, but just as he did.

"HEY!"

It came from the window. Turning back into the now brightly lit Cabin. Sarah's face fell as she saw the woman Lilly, the man Steve along with a few other hard faced bandits, with their faces pressed against the window in rage. Their rifles at the ready.

"RUN!" Nick roared, as everything seemed to spring to life all at once. The bandits seemed to dash out of the cabin, as Sarah ran as fast as she could. Nearly at the treeline... nearly at the treeline...

Lilly was the first one to reach the front door, swinging it open. She saw the two fleeting forms of the man and the girl sprinting into the treeline. Wasting no time, she saw that the girl was the one who was carrying the supplies. Their group needed those supplies and ever since she had killed Carley and been with Steve's group, killing survivors with supplies was a daily job for her.

Besides, many of them were assholes who deserved it anyway.

And those that weren't... Lilly tried to convince herself that they were better off dead. Kind people didn't belong in this world, they would only suffer a painful death by being ripped apart by walkers. She always tried to make her kills as painless as possible for these people. A quick bullet in the brain was the safest and quickest method.

But the girl was running away too fast, Lilly didn't have any time to aim at her head, she simply lined the rifle and fired. The rifle cracked as she heard the girl scream in pain as she bent double and ran herself to the ground.

Sarah lay on the floor, as the pain of being shot (for the first time) had reduced her to a squealing mess, as Nick hastily turned around to see Sarah clutching her bleeding torso "SHIT! SARAH!" He bellowed, running back for her, not caring in those seconds about his own safety, he had to put Sarah first. He felt his treasured red cap fall from his head, yet in those moments he didn't care, as he rushed back to Sarah.

Lilly watched the tall man run back to the girl on the floor. She still held on feebly to the large bag they needed, as he scooped her up in both of his arms and carried her back to the treeline at a sluggish pace. Lilly aimed the rifle for the tall's man back... ready to fire again before an empty click made her curse angrily.

"Fuck" she snapped. She had to reload.

She knew the pair would escape as she reloaded and sure enough they disappeared into the treeline, just as the other members of her group burst outside and fired into the vegetation where the pair had disappeared into. The stray bullets ripped the leaves to shreds, but didn't seem to kill any people. The only trace of them that remained was the man's red cap, That lay abandoned, next to a large shrub.

"Did you get em?" Steve demanded from Lilly.

"I shot the girl, but the guy picked her up and they ran off. They've still took the damn bag with them..." Lilly explained.

In the woods not to far away. Nick was running blindly along, when he felt the damp wet of Sarah blood trickle onto his fingers. He knew he had to stop and patch up the wound, if he kept on running along like this, she would (without a doubt) bleed out and die.

Ducking into a bush (trying hard to ignore the rough shouts of the approaching bandits) he reached into the bag of meds he and Sarah swore they wouldn't touch unless it was for extreme emergencies, and Nick knew that this was one. Pushing his soaked fingers past the books and camera, he finally started pulling out as many bottles and bandages as he could. He blindly tipped them all out onto the floor.

"Per... peroxide..." he thought desperately, looking for the familiar bottle in the darkness. In his panic, he must have missed it three times, before he finally found the brown bottle. Scooping it up, he wasted no time. Lifting Sarah green hoodie, he saw that bullet wound was fairly deep, and that a fountain of blood was spurting out from inside of it.

"Fuck... fuck" he hissed, pouring half the bottle on her wound instantly. This not only removed infection from the wound, but also the blood around the actual bullet wound itself. Wiping his sweaty forehead (only making it wetter with Sarah's blood) he heard the familiar sizzling sound, as the peroxide burnt against Sarah's skin. But she didn't react. Nick looked up to see that her eyes were closed and blood was leaking from a thin trail from her mouth.

"Fuck! Just fuck stay with me!" he whispered in desperation to Sarah. Knowing that she was unconscious and that she was bleeding from the mouth, were two signs that didn't mean anything good. Peering in at the wound, he saw that three small silver bullets had wedged themselves in Sarah's meaty pink flesh. A shot from that rifle at close range would have meant death. But since Sarah was hit from a distance... maybe she was lucky?

He pulled out the bullets one by one. Wondering by the end of this, how many bullets he would have to pull out of himself and others. He seemed to be a professional at it, yet as he grabbed the bandages, he suddenly noticed something that made his heart stop. Sarah seemed still... too still...

Sarah wasn't breathing.

"Oh shit... shit... shit... come on" Nick gasped, losing his head as he quickly pressed down on the still bleeding wound with one hand. He used the other to pry Sarah's mouth open and begin CPR, he inhaled deeply blew oxygen into her lungs.

Nothing happened.

"Come on... come on..." Nick muttered, now using a white pad and applying as much pressure as he could on Sarah's wound, as he tried once again to try CPR. He gave her a few compressions on her chest before returning to the mouth to mouth... air... compressions... air...compressions...

It went on and on. Nick was aware he was crying now, as he slowly gave up hope. He didn't know shit about how to save someone this near to death. Sarah's skin was cold, it chilled him too the touch...

"No Sarah... PLEASE!.." he sobbed and screamed in unison, as the tears fell from his blue eyes freely. Yet Sarah looked peaceful, as he continued to slowly try to hammer on her chest to get her breathing once again, but he knew now that it was hopeless.

In the dark night, Sarah's corpse lay peacefully.

It was over. Nick felt himself give in, as he...

A noise made his head jerk up, he was still faintly pushing down on Sarah's chest, as he heard her cough. He leaned in close to her face and could have screamed to the high heavens above in relief, when he felt her weak breath on his blood drenched fingers.

But he couldn't scream in relief, because bandits were nearby and it wasn't over yet.

His other hand was numb on where he had been inserting pressure on Sarah's wound. He held the white pad in place, as he begun to wrap as many layers of bandages as he could around her torso. Moving her slowly, terrified that she would stop breathing once again.

She kept on breathing as Nick finished wrapping up her wound. He watched the wound closely for ages... but the bleeding must have subsided somewhat as no more blood seeped through the layer of bandages he had laid there. He breathed in relief, the bullets hadn't hit any major veins or arteries then, although they had caused a lot of damage.

Sarah's skin was pale in the weak moonlight. She had suffered major blood loss for a start and her body would have gone into shock. Her skin was still freezing to the touch, without thinking, Nick used the thick blue coat around himself and draped it over Sarah to warm her up. As he waited... in the dark... slowly placing all the meds back into the bin bag...

It's a good thing they brought those meds with them. Or else Sarah would have died.

Wrapping up the bin bag, he lay close to Sarah. The bandits shouts had faded into the distance, Nick gathered that they were safe and he had chosen a great patch of vegetation to hide under. With nothing to occupy his mind, he removed Sarah's glasses from the bridge of her nose and placed them in his own trouser pocket. He used the back of his hand to inspect Sarah's temperature, by pressing it on her forehead, he made the judgement that she was still cold, but not as cold as she had been. Her breaths became stronger and more consistent.

She was injured... but she was going to pull through this.

Nick sat in the same spot for hours, watching her. Making sure that she didn't suddenly stop breathing once again. With his coat off he now only had a thin-t shirt to protect him from the cold lashes of night. It didn't work, as he sat there shivering, his arms, fingers, and forehead still soaked in Sarah's recently lost blood.

"You scared me Sarah, don't do that again" Was the last dazed thing he muttered, as he finally let sleep overcome him.

* * *

"They escaped once again it seemed, Rob says he couldn't find them" Steve told a stone faced Lilly, joining her on where she stood by the front door of the cabin.

"Damn it" was Lilly had to utter, as she buried her face in her hands and sighed.

"Still thinking that the girl could be with them?" Steve asked.

"I should have tried asking them rather than shooting them. But the only reason we've got this far is because we don't take any chances" Lilly muttered as Steve nodded in full agreement. After all, it was his policy, as he was the leader of this group.

"Either way, were running low on meds and food again and those two seemed to picked this cabin clean of things..." Steve began to explain as Lilly pulled out the drawing once again and store at it.

It showed the man she hated with all her heart... Kenny, with his stupid moustache, next to him was a much slimmer Kajtaa, and a child Lilly recognised as Duck. She knew when she saw this photo, who had drawn it. She didn't care for the three people in it, whether they were dead, or alive or worse. But she cared a great deal, for the artist.

"You really owe this Lee guy, if you're so desperate to find that girl he looked after" Steve noted, as Lilly was once again staring at the drawing. (he noticed she did this a lot, as Lilly spoke)

"I'd be dead a hundred times over if it wasn't for Lee. He helped my dad in that meat locker, he let me stay with the group rather than leave me at the side of the road. I don't know if his dead or alive now Steve, but I know for a fact..." she gestured at the drawing "That this little girl is alive and around here. I just know she is. I can't explain it..." Lilly said as she looked into the dark forest ahead of her and thought in her head...

"Clementine. I don't know where you are, but I know you're close, If something _has _happened to Lee... than It's my mission to help you"

It had been nearly two years since she last saw the 8 year old, but even if Clementine regarded her with distaste if they were too meet again (based on the fact she murdered Carley right in front of her). Lilly would ensure that she would help the girl. Back at the motor inn, she loved and cared about Clementine, almost as much as Lee.

_And... she owed Lee that much. _


	39. The Last Day Dawns

**A/N: Thank you all for the continued support and reviews, the long awaited rebellion will occur in a few chapters (I won't keep you waiting for much longer) so thanks for those that have continued to leave reviews and support this story.**

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks for you review! And I'm glad you saved Sarah in your fic, we seem to both like Sarah.**

**NN009- I'm torn, it would either be world war 3 in an instant, or they would stare at each other in shock. A reunion like that would be a difficult (but exciting) thing to write.**

**Rebloxic- I don't really know how to respond to a "Y" unless you mean Why I brought Lilly back, or had Sarah nearly killed.**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for the continued support. I imagine Sarah was in shock, but having her call out Clem or Carlos' name would have been a nice touch. Either way I'm glad you're still enjoying the story! And discussion time... Which credit song do you think is the best? (E.g Take us back from Alela Diane, In The Pines by Janel Drewis as examples) personally I'd go for "In The Pines" but it's your decision. **

**Bubbles2k100- Thanks! **

**FunFX2012- Thanks for the review, I was actually considering killing off Sarah when I was writing that. (Mainly to see what would happen to Nick if she died) but I banished that thought almost instantly. Seeing as a lot of readers here like Sarah (me included and she's fun to write, However just because their popular doesn't mean their safe forever) **

**apathy- Although I disagree with you on Kenny (I like his character, but I do feel his introduction in Season 2 took away the focus from characters who could have been developed) Lilly will play a further part in this story. **

**Lockdown- Again thank you! I glad I keep managing to surprise you!**

**Eggomypeggo- Can you kill me after I finish the story? Then you can abuse the magic you gained in a sequel story. But how many characters are going to be left for you to abuse after I'm finished with them? (Gives evil laugh) anyway thanks for the review on the plot twists I'll try to keep the good work**

**swiftlavignee- Thanks! I like the fact you enjoy the story and as for the Lilly question... I don't think so. I think Telltale are done with Lilly (but you never know) **

**Emily Carver- Thanks for the review! (I know it's only half done, but I really don't mind) I liked how you pointed out this was a mix of episodes 3 and 4 because that's what I was aiming at (along with a sprinkling of 400 days characters) and there you have it. **

**and finally Maximo thank you for your review! **

* * *

If anything defined the word "Risk" it was Jane and Luke did in the early hours of that morning.

Jane had long since found a loose plank in the barricade in front of the pen, that she had been keeping secret from the others, after her "business" with Troy she returned to the pen in a bad mood. But while Stephanie quickly returned to her bunk and slept in silence, Jane quietly tiptoed over to loose plank she had been inspecting for weeks and carefully removed it from where it stood.

This left a small gap in the barricade, one just about small enough for her to crawl through, aware of the many sleeping forms in the pen she quietly began to shake Luke when she reached his bunk, as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"s'matter?" He grumbled stupidly. His eyes widened when he saw a stern faced Jane glaring at him

"Stay quiet and follow me" she hissed, turning on her heel and back towards the barricade, wiping his eyes Luke silently tried to muffle his heavy footsteps as he crept past the other sleeping pen dwellers and towards where Jane was slowly crawling through a loose gap in the barricade.

"Jane" he hissed confused. Hoping she wasn't planning, what he thought she was planning.

"Just get over here, I got something to show you" She whispered back, with a pronounced sigh, Luke looked back (everyone seemed asleep) with that in mind, he ducked down and managed to wriggle his way out of the pen. As he was larger than Jane this required more time and effort. But doing so he eventually reached the other side and brushed himself down as he stood up.

"Well? What do you want to show me?" he asked, when Jane didn't respond he muttered in a panic "Jane... were not leaving those guys behind..."

"I know that" she answered him firmly, looking back at the pen. "This isn't an escape Luke. There's no where to go out there, added to the fact we've almost taken this place over, it would be stupid to flee now" she told him as Luke looked at her curiously.

"Then why did you bring me out here?" he asked confused, as Jane looked up at him with a sly smile.

"Simple, we need some privacy"

Luke spoke up about his many doubts with this.

"It's not safe out here... walkers could catch us..."

"If not walkers... then the guards will catch us..."

"Jane... we can't, this is just stupid..."

Jane wouldn't have it. After Troy... she needed relief from someone she knew she had grown to love. Plus the risk of getting caught, only made it more exciting for her. She could tell Luke felt the same, as much as he tried to deny it with his babbled excuses, she knew he would give into her eventually.

And so he did.

They were quiet in their lovemaking, (so as not to wake the others up) after they finished, Luke used their crumpled jumpsuits as a sort of make shift blanket, his to cover their naked forms, and Jane's to sit on, so their backs didn't become engrained with sharp stones, they lay there in silence, both strangely giddy and smiling. The greenhouse was one thing... but out here. Well it was enthralling!

"Were such idiots" Luke finally mused, gazing at the starry sky. Never feeling so free or alive. For the first time in a long time, he was staring at the wide sky without the heavy black bars of the pen to obscure his vision.

"I know we are" Jane said, pushing herself, resting her head on his bare chest as she cuddled closer to him, as the cold night air made both them shiver slightly. But the closer they got too each other, the warmer it became.

"I've ain't felt this human in a long while" Luke softly crooned to her and Jane could understand what he was saying. For she too finally felt human. Not fucking a man she hated to gain extra supplies for the pen (or to get out of it) she wasn't covering herself in walker guts and silently walking amongst the stumbling corpses. She wasn't alone and thinking endlessly of Jamie and she wasn't having to constantly worry about finding herself food and drink.

No. Now she was relaxing. Doing something incredibly stupid and risky, but doing something _human_. Something she knew she needed and it seemed as though Luke needed as well.

"You know Luke... if things to go badly with this rebellion" Jane begun, as Luke started to stroke her short hair "Then we can always... just take off together. Flee through the hole in the barricade and just take off into the woods. Just you and me" Jane could see it now. Even if the rebellion went badly, she would not be alone again. She would have Luke with her, she would drag him if she had too.

Luke seemed to nod in agreement "Only if everything seems lost" he commented as Jane muttered "Yeah and if we can we'll take some the others with us" she told him.

"Clementine is my number one choice" Luke said instantly and with a firm voice "She's like the little sister I never had, and how old is she Jane? 11? She's 11 and she may as well lead this group. I'm telling you that little girl is special and I have no intention of leaving her to die" he argued as Jane sighed sadly.

"Yeah, Clem's special alright. I just wish Jamie was like her..." she trailed off and Luke could sense her sadness as he pulled her closer to him.

"Jamie's gone Jane. Stop blaming yourself, okay?" he reassured her, rubbing his hand over her back to comfort her.

"I love you Luke" she muttered to him. Not really knowing what propelled her to say such a thing. But all she knew is that with his kind eyes and nature... that it just needed to be said.

"Since when did the cold hearted, lone survivor, come out with stuff like that?" Luke chuckled lightly.

"Since I thought it, so shut up and don't tell anyone, or I'll cut your dick off pretty boy" Was Jane's response in a her (much more frequently used) harsh tone. Luke grinned at this.

"I love you too Jane"

They spent the rest of the night, gazing at star constellations in the sky. Only when the sun started to peer over the horizon did they have the sense to finally slap their jumpsuits back on and squeeze back through the hole in the barricade. Jane put it quietly back in place and they laid next to each other in their now shared bunk.

"GET UP! UP!" Troy roared a mere five minutes later, as the pen came to life, Luke and Jane could barely conceal their laughter, they had sex under everyone's noses.

It was stupid and risky, But also... human.

And it was the humanity they had, that Carver didn't, that would (In Jane's mind) be the reason they would triumph over Carver.

* * *

Sarah could only see blurs of dark green and blue above her as she slowly awoke. The last time she had been awake, she remembered sobbing on the floor, after being shot. She tried to scream for her father, or Clementine... but she only remembered coughing up blood, as somebody lifted her from the ground, before everything went black...

She blinked rapidly to find that her vision was still blurry, she realised her glasses weren't in front of her eyes. Rubbing her head she tried to rise, only to fall back down to the ground again. Her torso throbbing with a violent pain, that made her grit her teeth and make her eyes water...

"f...F..." She stuttered, trying hard not to use the dreaded "F word" that her father had warned her about (and that Nick used so frequently) Even in this state she retained her innocent state of manners, as she seethed on the "F" but did not get to the "Uck". Eventually she settled on "Damn, this hurts" in a softer tone. Wiping strands of her damp hair from her face, she leaned upwards (albeit more slowly)

Her torso still ached, but she found the pain bearable rather than making, rapid, sudden movements. She noticed she was laying on the forest floor and she recognised Nick's thick coat draped over her form, pushing it too the side she lifted her hoodie to inspect the damage.

She could only see a mass of bandages over her torso, there was no gore she could see that would make squirm. Satisfied that the wound was taken care of, she leant up to see Nick directly to her left. Leaning against an weathered tree, his token red cap was missing from his head, leaving his wavy black hair (minus his mullet) exposed to the elements. He was caked in dried blood, which Sarah quickly realised must have been her own, as Nick's chest rose and fell. He was still breathing, she also noticed how much he was shivering in his thin black t-shirt.

As she observed him, he seemed aware of some movements as his head poked upwards and his eyes snapped open. He was still wary of those damn bandits, yet he was relieved to find Sarah awake in front of him.

"Oh... you're awake... that's good" Nick drawled in his deep southern accent. Sarah noted he sounded very different when angry or agitated. She liked him best when he was like this, this tone soothed her ears.

"Yeah... what happened Nick?" She asked, as he recalled the details of the previous night.

"Well, you got shot and... I had to carry you away from the cabin. I stopped here and patched you up and... none of the bandits found us. So... with all that in mind I reckon were still ready to move" Nick commented (avoiding the details on how she had nearly died, no doubt that would freak her out) as he rose from where he sat slumped. As he did Sarah handed him his thick coat.

"Thanks" he muttered to her, wrapping the thing around himself.

"You looked cold" she uttered, as she slowly rose to her feet as well, as Nick handed her glasses back to her. Planting them on the bridge of her nose, everything seemed to sharpen, and her blurry vision cleared as she smiled.

"Can you walk?" Nick inquired as Sarah took a few steps forwards. She took three steps before, she gasped and bent over. Her torso seemingly burning.

"It... just hurts a little" she gasped. Trying hard to be tough, but Nick could instantly see past the lie. Without another word he swept her off her feet and carried her in his arms.

"Hold this, I can't carry both" he instructed, dropping the bag of meds on Sarah's lap, as she looked up at him.

"I'm heavy and this bag is heavy. I can handle it" she whined to him.

"No, you're hurt pretty bad Sarah. I don't want you re-opening your wound, it could be dangerous if that happens" Nick told her gently, as he tried to move forward in quick, long, strides. Sarah seemed comfortable in his arms, as the skinny teen began to dig out some books she could read from the bag of meds. She had to do this to pass the time, as Nick moved forwards in silence.

"Can we have breakfast soon?" she asked after a while, as the morning sun was only slowly rising into the sky.

"We'll stop take some short and quick breaks. I wanna reach the hardware store by nightfall" he said sternly. Because they were nearly out of food and drink and despite the maniac that Carver was, he knew that Sarah was going to need further medical attention if her wound was going to be properly treated. Out here, there was the risks of more crazy ass bandits. A risk of her re-opening the wound...

The sooner they got back. The better. They had ventured into dangerous lands, retrieved their treasures (the photos from the cabin) and were now more than happy to get back to pen, with a lot of stories to tell. As Nick moved on through the trees, he followed the faint flow of the river in the distance and knew he was going the right way.

"Just keep moving" he urged himself, his deep blue eyes locked on the never ending pine forest in front of him.

As he walked on, Sarah innocently asked "Nick... where's your cap?"

Nick flinched, only then (for some reason) realising that his cap was absent from his head. He sighed sadly "I must of lost it back at the cabin..."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault..." Sarah began.

"Don't blame yourself, it was just a stupid cap and I moved my photos anyway" Nick reassured her, admittedly he had been with that cap a long while. But at the end of the day it was just a piece of stupid clothing, he would happily lose it to save Sarah and get back to Luke and the others. Yet he still felt a pang of sadness at the loss of his dumb red cap, with that halo logo on it...

They trekked on, Nick still wary of the bandits behind them. Literally they weren't out of the woods yet and Nick was anxious to advance, despite his arms feeling like dumbbells after 15 minutes of holding onto Sarah (with the weight of the bin bag added on) he continued to advance, willing to fight the lactic acid building in his arms, if it meant he could get Sarah safely back to Howard's Hardware.

He had promised Carlos this after all and after everything they had been through, he was now more determined then ever to get back.

Sarah head was lost in a heavy book, she seemed engrossed in the thing. This trigged Nick to ask "What ya readin'?"

Sarah looked up at him and smiled, "It's that star sign book I was telling about you before. It has all our strength and weakness in it, in birth dates as well. According to this, people born on March 12th's favourite colour is either blue or brown. But's that's wrong, as my favourite colour is yellow..."

"You're birthday is March 12th?" Nick asked, cutting through her excited babble.

"Yeah, when's your's?" she asked back.

"February 27th"

Sarah flicked the pages (no doubt to February 27th) after a few minutes of close reading, she asked...

"Is your favourite colour blue?"

"Yes" Nick answered

"Is your favourite number... number 5?"

"No, it's 2" Nick said off the top of his head.

"Well, apparently five is your lucky number" Sarah informed him. Nick strongly had to hold his tongue about calling the mystical decorated book "A pile of made up bullshit" instead he sighed and muttered "You know I wish that book could tell us who Lee was"

Sarah blinked in confusion, before repeating the name uncertainly "Lee?"

"Yeah, when that woman was going on about a guy named Lee yesterday. I can't help but feel as if I heard that name before" he said, scratching the back of his head, before he realized that his bushy mullet was absent, so he scratched away at his bare skin, as Sarah's eyes lit up.

"Hey! I remember a Lee!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Nick dared to ask, as Sarah nodded vigorously.

"Clementine was telling me about him. He was the guy who looked after her and helped her too survive. He showed me a picture of him too, he was a black man with a beard... and apparently he was a convicted murder! But, really he was a good man" Sarah told Nick, as this information washed over him, before the answer slapped him in the face.

"CLEMENTINE!" He yelped suddenly, nearly giving Sarah a heart attack.

"I knew I heard Lee's name before. Clem was telling me about him on the night everyone was having a go at me. She said Lee died because of her and that she regretted it everyday... so this woman... Lilly..."

"Must have part of Clementine's old group!" Sarah shouted as she gasped, as more memories hit her.

"Oh yeah, Clementine was also telling me about what happened to her past group and she mentioned a woman called Lilly, who murdered a woman called Carley! They let the woman stay with them, but then she stole their RV!" Sarah concluded dramatically as the truth dawned on Nick.

"This woman's dangerous Sarah! The little girl she was on about finding! She was talking about Clementine! We have to tell the others, the minute we get back!" He shouted.

"Yeah" Sarah agreed, as Nick sped forward. Now with another reason (and more determination) to reach the hardware store by nightfall.

They didn't realize, that mere feet away, Lilly and her 6 companions had overheard every word they said. Steve looked over at Lilly who was crying happy tears as she gazed at the drawing once again.

"So... were not gonna kill those two then?" one of the men asked, their pistols still trained on where they closely trailed Nick, who was still carrying Sarah.

Lilly shook her head with force, "If you shoot them and kill them. I'll shoot you where you fucking stand" she threatened. Her tone deadly serious as she crept forward after these odd duo.

"Lilly... I can't believe your crazy hunch was right" Steve told her amazed. Lilly didn't reply, she was a woman on a mission and hearing all that, had made her the happiest she had been in a long time. They had long since confirmed the news that Lilly had suspected.

Clementine was alive.

And now, she was going to follow this duo, back to where Clementine was located.

* * *

Rebecca sadly watched her friends slave away on that damn trench outside, she was spying on them from the roof, as William Carver stood there next to her. With his steel like arm uncomfortably draped across her aching shoulders.

"Don't feel bad for them Becca baby. They deserve it" Carver softly crooned to her.

"I know they do Bill. But... can't you just get them to work in the store. I hate them, but I don't want them dead" She pleaded of him, as he observed her closely.

"I'm already getting a few of them back to their odd jobs. They've seemed quiet in the past couple of days. Maybe they'll finally see some fucking sense" he spat to the cold morning air, as Rebecca had to nod in agreement (it felt like she was moving a rusty piece of machinery, by nodding her head to him).

"I hope so" she agreed.

"Yeah, and Becca honey" he said turning to her, and caressing her face, as Rebecca gazed coldly back at him "Tonight... I was thinking... maybe we could _rekindle our old spark_" he suggested with raised eyebrows.

"Stop tiptoeing around it Bill, I'd love to get down and dirty with you again" This was officially the biggest lie that Rebecca had ever told, so how she did it while gazing into his green orbs, without flinching, she didn't know. Yet she had to add (so not appear to suspicious) "As long as you don't have a duty to do tonight, I reckon we could..." she trailed off, forcing the ends of her lips to twitch upwards as Carver smiled back at her.

"I'm free all night, tonight baby" he whispered into her ear, as she pretended to giggle. Before Carver kissed her full on the mouth. When they broke apart, he grinned and muttered "I got business now though, I'll see you later Rebecca" he walked off towards the door leading back down to the store.

"I'll see you later Bill" she responded with feigned warmth. He beamed back at her, and left her to her business on the roof. The minute he was out of sight, she actually felt herself breathe in relief.

"Rebel soon" she begged of the distant silhouettes, who were hacking away at the earth.

She heard the door reopen behind her, she didn't turn to face whoever was there. Assuming they would simply go into the greenhouse, instead she gazed at the thousands of pine trees ahead of her. and the hills that rolled into oblivion, the blue sky was barely visible today, as puffy white and greying clouds had begun to drift over the hardware store.

_Looked like a storm was on the way. _

"So... did you enjoy tricking Bill?"

A question, openly hostile shot at Rebecca with a snake's venom, she whipped around to find Tavia, glaring at her.

"I ain't tricking him" she responded defensively.

"We both know that's bullshit. What are you planning with your pen buddies?" Tavia shot at her, once again as Rebecca shook her head.

"You're delusional Tavia, what are you... jealous?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me!" Tavia shouted, rage etched all over her face.

"Bill was using you for a spare fuck, honey. Know I'm back on the block, he wouldn't touch the fat, ugly, miserable cow that is you"

Tavia's eyes nearly popped out of her head, Rebecca couldn't help but feel satisfied at this, as Tavia began to approach her, with dangerous stomps.

"I could push you. I could push you over the edge of this roof and shut the hell up" Tavia hissed.

"But you won't, because Bill will kill you then" Rebecca informed her, yet she nervously glanced at the 12 hung walkers, who were still struggling at the end of their nooses. The rope now digging inches into the frail necks...

"You're not too gorgeous either honey. You're just knocked up slut. Bill will see you for what you really are, because I know you're planning something" she growled, leaning into Rebecca's face and staring her down, Rebecca store back as Tavia's rage grew...

"Fuckin' bitch" Tavia finally spat, as she slapped Rebecca hard across the face. Rebecca stumbled slightly as she held the red mark on her face. She glared up, at Tavia with black beads, of hate fuelled silts, as eyes.

"You'll be dead soon, trust me" Tavia told her, before walking off back towards the door. If this was meant to be a threat to intimidate Rebecca, it had failed miserably.

"You better watch your fucking ass, if you know what's good for you" she threatened Tavia back. Who didn't reply, but simply walked back down the hardware store. Still smug in her skin...

Rebecca turned back to the storm brewing in the sky, in the same way a storm was brewing in this community.

* * *

Troy led Stephanie into the room where she would be expected to gather more salvage.

He closed the door and left Stephanie alone in the darkness, she realized that this was her chance. Her chance to do _this_. She trembled from head to foot, as she tried to find the heaviest piece of metal she could, amongst the pile.

She kept willing herself to do this.

Knowing that if she did. The community would be on their side, fully.

and that the rebellion would begin... _tonight_.


	40. Abort Loyalty

**A/N: And here we are at Chapter 40! My ultimate goal is 300 reviews and then I'll be happy no matter what. Again I can't thank everyone who has reviewed, enough. For the continued support and praise they give this story. **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- You and apathy have both pointed out the logical hole, that Nick can carry all the weight when A) His been shot in the shoulder so his arm would fail him and B) He was shot in the knee so his leg would fail him. Thanks for pointing that out, (as with the whole Lilly thing and Sarah's condition) I forgot about Nick's own condition and I'll be sure too clear that up this chapter.**

**Anyway I'm glad you're still enjoying the story and we both agree on "In The Pines" being the best ending song. (I like the songs they use for the credits, as their songs I've never heard of before, but are still great) I haven't played Okami but I'll sure to check it out! And... I've got another question... other than Clementine, Sarah and Nick (who seem to be the most popular choices) which other three characters would you want to see live through the rebellion? **

**apathy- Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the Tavia/Rebecca part and I'm glad you pointed out Steve and the other's motivations, as that will be brought up very soon. As Lilly seems to focused on finding Clementine to question why her group (who shoot everyone they meet) are suddenly agreeing to help her. **

**Eggomypeggo- I'm glad your interest is peaked! I'll try not to keep you waiting too long and I'm glad you're sparing me! **

**Rebloxic- Lots of glitchy reviews lately, anyway thanks for the continued support, and Stephanie will play a big part in this chapter. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks! Lilly's a woman on a mission so there's no stopping her. and I'm still enjoying your story.**

**rokon900- Thanks! I can't say if I'll make a sequel yet, as the ending I have planned ties together a lot of loose ends. At the moment I can simply say I'm not sure. But thanks for the interest. **

**and finally Lockdown thanks for your review! **

* * *

Nick shouldn't have carried Sarah.

The sun was rising into the sky, he was so focused on his Sarah's condition and the threat of the bandits behind them, he completely forgot about his own condition and that he had a bullet wound on his shoulder and his knee. How he managed to carry Sarah for an hour or two he didn't know. But finally he gently had to drop her to the ground.

"Nick?" she asked nervously, as Nick held his shoulder gritting his teeth, as pain shot through his being, causing his bones to quiver as he shook in agony.

"You're hurt, aren't you?" she begged of him to answer, as he continued to hold his collarbone with the palm of his hand. Facing the floor, as he tried to clear his dizzying vision...

"You... can't... pass...out...now" he rasped to himself, trying to keep a grip on the tree he was leaning against.

"You need to sit down" Sarah told him sternly, she gently helped him to the floor, but he grimaced when he had to bend his knee as he sat down. Placing it at a straight angle, he propped himself on the forest floor as he took some deep breaths...

"You shouldn't have carried me, you've strained your wounds..." Sarah began in a patronizing tone, which irked Nick.

"I know that!" he snapped, as he gripped his shoulder tighter... "Fuck, this hurts like hell" he thought to himself, while Sarah did not seem to frightened of Nick as much as she used too, so she responded back "You need to stop and rest" she told him.

"I don't need shit! We gotta keep moving!" Nick angrily shot back at her, as he tried to stand on his own two feet again, but to his surprise Sarah pushed him back down to the ground again.

"Stay there Nick and don't be an idiot! You need to eat!" She exclaimed, she knew what Nick was trying to do and it irritated her.

"Sarah if we don't move...!" Nick began to rant.

PLOP

Sarah had literally shoved a piece of dried bread into his open mouth, shutting him up the most comedic way, as he began to gag on the piece of food which tasted more like cardboard.

"Eat" she commanded, as she began to tear into her own piece of dried bread, as she washed it down with the last drops of water she had in her canteen.

Slowly and in shame, Nick began to chew away at the bread, he swallowed it with large gulps, not realising how hungry he was until that moment. His head stopped spinning as he drank some of the water in his canteen that freshened his parched and dry throat.

"A good breakfast, always helps give you energy for a long day" Sarah phrased from her school days. Nick rolled his eyes at this.

"Look Sarah... I appericate you doing all this for me, but we need to move" Nick tried to tell her (albeit more gently this time) yet she shook her head in defiance.

"We'll move in a minute Nick, I don't want you carrying me anymore, or walking so fast. You'll hurt herself" she argued back to him.

"Sarah..." he begun again, in a pleading tone.

"NO!" she roared startling Nick, as she faced him with hardened eyes "I don't want you, to end up killing yourself by saving me Nick! This isn't how this works!"

"Look!" Nick shouted back, glaring back at her "I as good as got Carlos killed! The only way I can make it up to him, is by getting you back to the hardware store! So please stop worrying about me!" he begged of her, as her eyes widened.

"Nick, I promised myself I wouldn't get anyone else killed after what happened to my Dad. If you die out here... then I'll have broken my promise" she sighed before she ploughed on "So please... don't do anything stupid, you're my friend, and we don't leave friends behind" Sarah told him with a passion in her voice. She wanted to do whatever she could for those in danger, as now she had realised, that all this time she had truly been a liability on others.

Her father, Becca, Reggie, three people were dead because of her and how many people had she annoyed with her constant whining? Or the fact she had failed to do anything of use to the group. She was just an extra mouth to feed.

And yet, they had kept her around, they had saved her. Clementine, Nick, Luke, Rebecca, Alvin, Pete and her father even though she was a useless idiot.

This humanity inspired her to say this to Nick, she wanted to repay the debt to those that had treated her so kind.

Nick was silent for a long time after she stated her argument, as his gaze found the floor, finally he seemed to look up and gather his senses.

"You sound a lot like Clementine" he informed her.

"Well... she helped me and I want to help you" she stated, as Nick chuckled and rose from the ground slowly.

"Okay, maybe you're right Sarah. We'll keep moving but we'll take it easy. Are you okay to walk by yourself?"

Sarah said she was fine to walk by herself, admittedly her torso ached. But judging by the way Nick walked, with his now limp arm and limping again on one leg. She thought kicking up a fuss now, would be weak of her. Besides she wasn't bleeding out. As long as she walked slow the wound remained closed. So they were travelling slower, but Nick still had determined look in his eyes and they had made good progress... they may have still reached the hardware store by nightfall...

"Could they go any slower?" Steve whispered to Lilly, as they observed the odd duo, move doggedly through the thick strands of vegetation, with their wounds holding them back.

"I shouldn't have shot the girl" Lilly muttered, as Steve seemingly nodded "Well... you can't go back now. At least their both alive" he reassured her with a thin smile, as the group silently weaved past the bases of the pine trees, to continue tracking the duo. The duo who would lead Lilly back to Clementine.

"Lilly, when we reach this place, what's your plan?" Steve asked her. Lilly could detect the suspicion and distrust, in his black eyes.

"I'm taking Clementine with me. You can do whatever the hell you want the rest of them" she told him curtly, Steve and the others seemed satisfied at her cold response. But Lilly knew it wasn't going to be that easy...

The six of them were cold blooded killers. She very much doubted, that they would allow a little girl into their "Lucky 7". No doubt, they would shoot her on the spot. She could tell by the way Steve gave the others a knowing "look" that they had a different plan between them.

She had been with these people for God knows how long, killing strangers to keep herself alive. She may have been with them, but she wasn't truly one of them. She killed and put on a excellent demeanour of sharing Steve's mindset, however deep down she was still the scared, lost girl that had watched helplessly, as her father was killed in that damn meat locker.

They looked at her strangely, especially when she gazed at Clementine's drawing of Kenny's family, she knew full well Steve was only going along for the ride, so he could find more supplies and food for his own group. She could see them betraying her at any minute, when they reached their destination she was going to have make a choice.

Stick with Steve? Or ditch her group and pray Clementine's new group (which included this odd duo) would accept her.

Considering she shot one of them. She highly doubted it would be a warm welcome.

But, she had to try.

* * *

"Anyone know the time?" Wyatt asked the group around him wearily.

"Bout' Noon" Luke grumbled back, as the sun was high in the sky. However due to the grey clouds fogging up the blue sky, it was hard to tell, what time of the day it was. Clementine simply placed a guess at midday as she hacked aimlessly into the earth.

She, Wyatt, Luke and Shel had been sent to work on this area of the trench, aiming to make it deeper. Luke was filthy, as his jumpsuit was stained in blurs of brown soil, As he was the one carrying the soil back to the surface, Clementine doubted that the soil residing under his nails, or the cracks his hands would come off anytime soon.

They worked on mostly in silence, Wyatt tried to cheer the three of them up by saying "Well...at least we'll lost weight doing this" but this only earned a short chuckle from Luke, as Clementine and Shel worked on. Sweat beads rolling of their wet foreheads, into the murky soil below.

"CLEMENTINE!" Came a roar from above her. She was actually glad to see Troy glaring down at her. Because Troy only came out here shouting your name for one reason...

"You're needed with Stephanie to help with the salvage" he growled, as she tried to climb out of the trench. To her embarrassment she realized the trench was now too deep for her to crawl out off. Upon seeing this Troy burst into fits of cruel laughter.

"Oh... boy... maybe we'll just leave you in here all night. No way you're escapin' little missy" he howled. As he did Clementine felt herself go red in embarrassment as she turned back to the others, luckily for her Luke was observant and always willing to help.

"Here" he muttered kindly, boosting her up, with his already filthy hands, he helped push her upwards as she reached ground level. Troy chuckling subsided as she glared up at him.

"Now you're out of there, get your ass to salvage room. If you're not too short to get in there too" he mused, with a massive, mocking grin on his face.

Clementine walked off, swearing that (when the rebellion began) he would be one of the first to suffer.

Never the less, she walked back into the hardware store relived that she wouldn't be digging in that trench anymore. Carver hadn't given them a bath in weeks (in fact, Clementine remembered her last bath as a quick dunk in the river with Christa) by now layers of dirt and grime had accumulated on her skin. No one in the pen seemed to recoil at each other's smell. Because there was no doubt about it that they all smelt so awful now, they had simply adapted to their own horrible odours.

Yet, that's maybe why (when Clementine passed some of the higher privileged guards) they crinkled their noses at disgust at her. Tavia did this very audibly and Clementine heard her utter "...such pigs..." as she passed. Clementine decided that from this point on, she crinkle her nose at Tavia.

Her lack of humanity stunk the place out.

She passed Rebecca who was quietly conversing with three other guards. Two of them (Clementine noticed) were the badly shaven man and the other woman. The two other survivors of the first day trench incident, along with another man. Rebecca spotted her and gave her a friendly smile, which Clementine returned before moving on, as she caught the other three guards also trying to smile faintly back at her.

Rebecca was gathering her allies no doubt.

Clementine approached the familiar grey door and opened it without much thought, stepping into the darkness she automatically made her way to table and dropped herself into the small chair.

Looking up, she knew then something was off.

Firstly, Stephanie wasn't in her seat and secondly the scarp pile in front of her looked messier than usual. Confused, Clementine stood up once again.

"Stef?" she called out into the dark room.

No response.

"Stephanie?" she called out again, a little louder. Her nerves starting to jangle in her gut, as she peered ahead of her nervously.

It was then she noticed the blood stains.

Breathing faster now, she leapt out of her seat and (knowing what she was about to see wasn't going to be pretty) she followed the trail slowly, as the small droplets, soon became smears of blood on the dark floor.

And the smear's became a puddle.

She looked up.

Stephanie was lying in a puddle of her own blood, her trousers lay discarded in the sticky crimson puddle. Her back was pressed up against the wall, as she looked up the dark celling, with vacant eyes. Her skin was a deathly pale shade, her breathing was raspy, as dried tears left their tracks on her blood dripped face. In fact blood seemed to drip off every part of her, there was so much of it.

The sight of it sickened her, but that wasn't all, a large metal container lay to Stephanie's side (which stood out of place from the other pieces of junk) and in the puddle of blood, there was something else. Clementine zoomed her vision in on the blob in the blood and wished she hadn't, as she could see something...

It seemed like a human, or had a humanoid shape, expect it's arms and legs (which can't have been bigger than Clementine's own fingers) were twisted. It seemed like a baby... or a developing baby. It was smaller than Alvin, and completely drenched in blood. The still thing didn't move, no doubt it was dead.

Clementine backed away gasping, feeling bile rise in her throat. She had long since adapted to smells, but sights... some sights made her sick no matter how much horrible stuff she had seen. And the sight of that... thing. Horrified her to the core.

Clementine could only stare, as Stephanie slowly rocked her head downwards to face her.

"Get... Stan..." she rasped sadly.

Clementine's legs moved of their own accord, she flew out of that door as fast as her legs could carry her. The hardware store becoming a blur as she sprinted back to the main section of the hardware store. She remembered that she was near too Rebecca and the other guards, she wiped around to find them staring at her oddly from where they were wedged between the shelves.

"Where's Stan!?" she pleaded of them, her eyes wide and her voice fearful before Rebecca could answer her, she heard someone growl from behind her...

"What is it?"

The rat faced Stan had made his way up behind her upon hearing his own name, Clementine began to babble in panic...

"Stephanie, she wants to see you there's something's wrong with..." she paused without breath, she felt herself stop and continue to gasp as Stan muttered "Oh for fuck's sake, what's the problem now?" as he slowly stomped towards the scavenge room.

Clementine didn't wait around, she ran on. Even though she heard Rebecca call her name from behind her, she swept from out of the hanger door and ran back towards the trench she, Shel, Luke and Wyatt were working on. The image of that deformed,dead,baby lingering in her head. It was impossible to erase it from her head, as the sight was ghastly...

She practically jumped back into the trench and landed on her knees, still panting she looked up to find Luke, Wyatt and Shel staring at her oddly.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE...!" Troy began to rant, as Clementine spoke over him.

"Shel... something's... something's wrong with Stephanie!" Clementine voice sounded as haunted and as raspy as Stephanie's own, as Shel stared at her oddly.

"What, what's wrong?" Shel asked, her eyebrows rising slightly.

"I went to work with Stephanie... and she was lying in a pull of pool of blood and there was a dead baby on the floor!" Clementine exclaimed in panic, the image of the dead baby flashing through her brain, as she exclaimed this.

Shel's eyes nearly popped out of her head as horrified understanding dawned on her face.

"Oh no" Shel whimpered.

"HEY! CLEMENTINE GET THE FUCK BACK TO WORK! YOU HAVE NO REASON TO BE HERE...!" Troy was bellowing at her, but Clementine was hardly paying any attention, as Troy's own words were soon drowned out, as Rebecca was sprinting towards them.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, WILL EVERYONE STAY AT THEIR GOD-DAMN...!" Troy began, before Rebecca spoke over him.

"GUYS! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO STEPHANIE! STAN'S BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF HER BACK THERE!"

There was no way Troy could control this, his bellows were subsided as the four of them crawled out of the trench, running towards Rebecca towards the source of commotion. He heard his walkie talkie buzz to life next to him, as he picked it up.

"Troy, get everyone inside we got a situation" Carver coldly told him.

Troy obeyed this command. Feeling proud of himself, he was the one pointing the gun at these prisoners. He felt like he was in power, like he was in control.

"Why?" Russell snapped.

"Because those are Bill's fucking orders, so get inside" he growled at them.

* * *

Clementine didn't know how she could watch anything, that was worse than this.

The whole camp was gathered in the main area of the hardware store, all pushed along the sides of large room as Stephanie cowered on the floor, she was in the centre of the room, isolated from the others. Shel looked on with angry tears pouring from her eyes.

"LADIES! SEE THIS AS A MESSAGE TO YOU! YOU HAVE A DUTY! IN THIS WORLD WE NEED TO FOCUS ON MAKING THE NEW GENERATION STRONGER THAN THE CURRENT ONE! SO THEY CAN SURVIVE IN THIS WORLD! STEPHANIE HERE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A CLEVER IDEA TO ABORT HER BABY! NOT ONLY IS THIS STUPID AND RIDDING A CHILD OF IT'S LIFE! IT ALSO PUTS THE MOTHER'S LIFE AT DANGER! STEPHANIE HOW DO YOU DARE RESPOND TO THIS!?"

Stephanie muttered something inaudible.

"RAPE!?" Carver boomed, giving out a shrill laugh, before his fist connected with the downtrodden woman, as she crumpled into herself once again "YOU MADE THE DEALS WITH STAN! THIS ISN'T RAPE! THIS IS PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION! LADIES, REBECCA HERE IS A SHINING EXAMPLE OF A MOTHER ABLE TO SURVIVE WITH A CHILD! YOU SEE STEPHANIE WE DO WHAT WE NEED, NOT WHAT WE WANT! (Carver was once again repeating his old phrase to the group).

Stephanie muttered something else that Clementine didn't hear.

"GOOD! YOU WILL THINK ABOUT IT NEXT TIME!"

The beating was difficult to watch, and beating a woman who recently lost her child because abortion was _"wrong" _was Carver's death sentence. Only those truly loyal to him, watched in cruel interest, every other guard either looked on horrified or had to cover their eyes.

It went on and on. Clementine turned to her left, to see Rebecca walking up to her.

Rebecca uttered one word to her.

_"Tonight"_

"I'll tell the others" Clementine said to her.

A Satisfied Rebecca walked off.

Tonight was truly _"the night"._

_The night, that would determine whether Clementine's second chance, was actually going to matter. _


	41. It's A Sin To Slaughter Mockingbirds

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, for this note I'm going to keep it short and sweet.**

**I appericate all your reviews, but please don't leave any spoilers for episode 5 in you reviews (as I'm an Xbox guy and can't play it until tomorrow).**

**Don't worry though, by the next author's note I'll be ready to discuss episode 5 to the death and respond to all of your reviews, so until then... Stay awesome!**

**P.S. From this point on the chapters will become noticeably shorter, as a lot of different things will occur in the upcoming rebellion and deaths and events will each have a chapter focus on them. **

* * *

"To Kill A Mockingbird..."

Sarah uttered the title of the dusty cover she had in her palms, turning it over she peered at the words of text, straining her eyes as it was getting darker...

"What's that?" Nick asked, placing himself on the ground next to her.

The pair of them had made it back to the Civil war site. Nick hadn't expected it, he was walking along the forest, only slightly ahead of Sarah. His head bent down in fatigue as he noticed the forest floor slowly turn into grey gravel...

He looked up to find the crumbling civil war site gazing back at him. He blinked to make sure it was real, before he let out a hearty laugh causing Sarah to look up in alarm. But she soon smiled upon seeing where they were back at.

"At this rate, we can stop for a break and make it back to the hardware store from here, before nightfall" he mused, as he and Sarah sat themselves on the benches by the sagging, reddish ruin of bricks that apparently made a "wall".

"It's getting dark though" Sarah noted, peering at the descending orange ball of the sun, as the long shadows began to trail their way up the civil war site.

"I know the way from here Sarah. We'll be fine" Nick reassured her, as he swept quick glance around the empty site and muttered "Were at the last scarps of our food and drink, how about we stop for dinner before we get moving again?"

Sarah said she'd like that. With this in mind they proceeded back towards the observation deck (for further security) Nick looked up at the blue statue of the injured solider carrying his comrade.

_Fallen but never forsaken_- The plaque still read.

Well, that was true.

Now, after finishing off the last scarps of bread with a few, oh so lovely beans to go with it. All washed down with the river water in their canteen's that Nick had filled in earlier. However after this dinner, they soon lay empty as Nick belched to Sarah's disgust. After this "incident" Nick went to go search for any supplies they may have missed (he was also wary of angry Russians still lurking). So as he went outside on the deck itself, Sarah had begun to root around for the camera, but instead her fingers clamped around the small book, which she pulled to the light.

To Kill A Mockingbird, a book her father had forbidden her from reading after she exhausted every other childish volume.

So as she inspected the book and Nick came in and asked her what it was, she responded "To Kill a Mockingbird, it's a book my dad wouldn't let me read. So I took it with me, because I want to read it" she told him eagerly as Nick smiled.

"I liked that book, read it in school" he informed her as Sarah's eyes opened in surprise.

"Really? Do you know what it's all about?" She asked quickly, she hadn't figured Nick as the type of man who read books. But he seemed interested in the book in front of him. "Yeah, Used to one of Pete's favourite books" he added, remembering how his Uncle would help teach Nick the book that he loved so much.

"So... what's it's about? But don't spoil it for me" Sarah asked of Nick, as Nick inhaled before speaking...

"Well... it's about a little girl who lives in south. Her dad's a lawyer and tries to defend an innocent man from being sent to jail. But the little girl soon discovers that... that the world is a cruel place, and that her town is filled with racism and prejudice" he felt like he gave a rather vague summary on the book, but it seemed to satisfy Sarah. Nick was surprised Sarah didn't ask for the meaning of "racism" glad that Carlos had told her some things. Although he could bet (if she started reading the book) he soon be pestered by endless inquires from Sarah. Asking what "rape" was.

"If that's what it's about, then why's it called To Kill A Mockingbird?" Sarah inquired.

Putting on a heavy southern drawl, Nick quoted, the most memorable quote in the book that he remembered.

_"Shoot all the bluejays you want if you can hit them, but remember It's a sin to Kill A Mockingbird" _

Sarah's confused stare, told Nick that she didn't follow him at he proceeded into a more basic explanation.

"It means the innocent man the dad's trying to defend is the true mockingbird. And that it's a sin to kill the mockingbird because Mockingbirds don't harm anybody"

"Oh" Sarah muttered, looking down at the book again in understanding. Before she spoke up again.

"Do you reckon that's like Carver then?" she asked.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Like... him killing everyone, him exiling us and all. It's like his killing all the mockingbirds and that's a sin" she explained, as Nick found himself nodding. Also remembering how he had killed the mockingbird that was Matthew on the bridge. He guessed that was why the book was so good, in even this mess it could somehow still relate to him.

"Do you reckon Clementine will like this book, when I show it her?" Sarah asked after another silence.

"I reckon she will"

"I know she will, I can't wait to here the rest of her story! Can you imagine her face after I tell her what we've been through?" Sarah mused in excitement.

"Yeah" Nick agreed quietly.

Sarah babbled on, confident in the knowledge that Clementine and the others were awaiting them. Nick was a bit less certain, he was 90 per cent sure the others were fine. But when they had left, Carver had killed Reggie, Becca in quick succession, so whose to say he stopped? This was thought Nick tried to push away and not bring up with Sarah. He expected at least one pen dweller to have died during the time he was gone, yet he was confident that the others were all smart enough to keep their cool, in fact...

"You know, I reckon while we've been gone. Rebecca must have had her baby" he told Sarah, whose eyes brightened up.

"Really? That's so cool! I reckon it's a girl! But I'll be happy if it's a boy too..."

While Sarah grew more excited at the prospect, Nick had to remain a little cynical. Had Rebecca and her baby survived the childbirth? How was Carver going to view the group now that he had his baby? Was the baby even born yet? (It should have been). Were Luke and Clementine really safe? How...?

No, he tried to block out these thoughts as they drove him mad. He and Sarah were going to return to that hardware store, with the bag of meds that resided next to him. Carver would let them back in, (no doubt back into the pen, but still) the others would all be surprised to see them, as they all thought he and Sarah would be dead. after happily reuniting with Luke, Clementine, Rebecca, Kenny, Sarita and the others, they would share their story of survival. Everyone would look at Nick in a new light, he would no longer be the fuck up.

He'd be the man, who helped an autistic 15 year old girl survive in this harsh world. and not only help her to survive but grow, as she had learned to fend for herself. Not only that, he had survived two bullet wounds, survived three hostile groups (the Russians, Steve's group and the Walker wannabes). Been chased down a river and survived. Trekked back to the cabin, gained some personal items. Headed back, saved Sarah from near death and trekked all the way back to the store...

When he thought about it like that, it put a dreamy smile on his face. But more thoughts of self doubt bubbled to the surface "What if the hardware store was overrun? Then what? What if Carver forgot the deal? Or what if he shot them on the spot, as he expected them to die out there. What if the bag of meds wasn't enough? What if...?"

Nick shook his head, his only thought being "If we're still alive, then they have to be", it was the only thought keeping him sane.

He had a gut feeling he would see his friends again. But it would not be the perfect scenario he had dreamed up in his head.

"Well... put that book back, I reckon we better get going. It's nearly nightfall" he told Sarah, as he stood up and yawned, but as he did, something shiny and golden caught his eye. He mentally had to slap himself for missing it for so long. He picked up the dusty bullet with curious fingers.

"Do you reckon it works?" Sarah asked.

"Only one way to find out" Nick said, as he drew out the old pistol, Sarah had found back at the trailer on the dead couple. He placed the single bullet in the empty magazine of the gun, and was surprised to find that (upon first try) the bullet actually slid perfectly into the magazine.

"It's a beretta 92" Nick observed, gazing at the pistol "It's not too heavy, it can shoot things from quite a distance and is small enough to carry around" Nick was recited his words from magazines he had read growing up. Nick was fountain of knowledge when it came to guns, so much so that others may have found it "nerdy" of him. However considering he was trigger happy guy, his knowledge of guns was second to none.

Sarah could tell instantly that he was in his element, as excitement rung in his voice while he spoke. She decided to try and at least look interested as she muttered back to him "Well... that sounds good. But I only have one bullet"

Nick smile didn't fade, "Well then, use it wisely and kill the bluejay and not the mockingbird"

* * *

Lilly watched the duo finally leave the observation deck, it felt like hours to her as she fiddled impatiently. So when they finally emerged and headed away from the civil war site, she turned back to the other 6 members of her "team".

"You sure you don't want anything to eat Lilly?" Steve asked, the others had all been helping themselves to a quick dinner break, as Lilly glared at the observation deck.

"I'm fine Steve" Lilly snapped.

"Okay, but I'm just saying a bit of food will keep your strength up for tonight"

Bearing this in mind, she trailed far ahead of her group, as she quickly munched on a few crackers. Knowing that she would reach her destination, the destination she had been longing too reach for two years.

Back with (whatever was left) of her original group.

Behind her, the rest of her group's plan was firmly in place.

"So we storm this place?"

"If those two are what this place, has to offer. It will be over in five minutes" Steve said cockily.

"And what about this girl Lilly keeps going on about?" A woman asked, gazing ahead at Lilly.

"We kill the girl, we can't have that liability with us" Steve told her sternly.

"What if Lilly objects or..." The woman piped up again, as Steve whispered.

"Look... Lilly's been a good member of our group for nearly a year and a half now. But there's no doubt she's been starting to lose it since she found that drawing. When we get to this place, we need too... cut her off"

"You mean kill her?" a man asked, as Steve nodded.

"We can work better as a six, we'll have more food and supplies. Hell, maybe we can find another seventh member in time. A better member, but for now, we stick with our plan. You all got it?"

The other five nodded as Steve proceeded forwards. Murder on his mind.

* * *

It was supper, the pen dwellers had been herded back to the pen like a flock of sheep, Shel and Kenny had carried a bloodied and limp Stephanie, and placed her on her bunk. But she stayed wide awake, as she was surrounded by sympathisers. Clementine had told everybody earlier that the rebellion was planned for "tonight" at which Kenny's response had been "About fucking time..."

For now, she stood awkwardly stood on the outskirts of the Stephanie support group. Next to Bonnie who glanced down at her.

"It's horrible ain't it?" she asked of Clementine.

"Yeah" Clementine agreed sadly.

"But I guess this explains a lot, It explains why Stephanie cried when holdin' little Alvin. Because she knew she was expecting and she knew she couldn't bring a baby into this world. And it also explains why she was one of the first to run outta stamina, when digging those trenches..."

Clementine had too admire how observant Bonnie was, as she suddenly remembered these little details. She found it a little odd... but now it all made sense. Bonnie was a level headed woman and fairly quiet recently, yet the woman who was barely noticed. Noticed every key little detail from everyone else.

"You said you were worried about her, your hunch was right Bonnie" Clementine told her in awe.

"I knew something was off, but I didn't know it was something this bad" Bonnie replied, as she gazed forward at Stephanie, as Sarita and Kenny cleared room for them as they stepped forward.

"I'm... so sorry for your loss" Bonnie muttered sadly as Stephanie accepted it, as Bonnie continued "What Carver did too you, what Stan did too you. Don't worry darlin' by tonight we'll make sure those... sick... sick... men have what's coming to them"

Stephanie uttered a short "Thanks" before she looked up at Clementine and spoke.

"I'm... sorry you had to see that Clem" she told the younger girl.

"It's... okay" Clementine said, but the image of that dead baby still haunted her. But as Clementine patted Stephanie on the shoulder, Shel spoke up.

"Stef, you really didn't have to do that"

Stephanie looked up, the pair shared a look as Stephanie coughed awkwardly, all eyes rested on Stephanie.

"Hang on, what do you mean?" Kenny asked suspiciously, looking at Shel back to Stephanie. When Stephanie didn't speak up, Shel did.

"You asked Clementine to go and get Stan. Not me, not Kenny, nobody but Stan. You knew how he'd react, you knew what Carver would do" she said in an accusing tone as Stephanie seemed on the verge of tears.

"Well... what the hell else was I meant to do Shel!" She screamed suddenly causing many people to jump.

"Wait a minute" Kenny began, as understanding dawned on his face "You aborted your child, because...?"

"Because I wanted the whole camp to see how fucking sick these bastards are! And judging by Rebecca's response to begin the rebellion tonight. It must of worked!" Stephanie screamed, as tears fell from her eyes.

"Lay off her guys, whatever the reason an abortion is a traumatizing thing to go through!" Luke yelled.

"But did you want the baby?" Shel shot the question at Stephanie who froze in her tracks.

After a short silence, Stephanie finally babbled "I... I... of course not. It's n-not that I d-didn't w-want it.. it's j-just it c-can't have been raised in t-this world... it was...for... for the b-best..."

"Just tell me the truth!" Shel finally snapped, as the other all looking on with great interest. "First you don't tell me that you were planning to rob our supplies and run off back at the pit stop! And now you don't tell me you're pregnant! And you don't tell me you're going to abort it!" She paused, as angry tears began to roll down her eyes as well.

"AM I THAT SHITTY OF A FRIEND STEF! AM I THAT SHITTY THAT YOU CAN'T OPEN UP TO ME!? I AM THAT MUCH OF A COLD HEARTED BITCH!? IS THAT WHY BECCA BEGAN TO GROW MORE DISTANT FROM ME!? AM I THAT MUCH OF A FAILURE AS A PERSON...!?"

She trailed off, glaring openly at a shocked Stephanie. Clementine had no idea where the hell all this had come from. But she knew that she wasn't the only one who sometimes bottled up what she felt. No doubt Shel kept as many secrets as Stephanie did.

"I... didn't know... Shel... I never..." Stephanie sobbed.

"It's like watching a soap opera" Clementine heard Wyatt whisper to Eddie.

"I just wanted to help Shel, I wanted to do whatever I could" Stephanie croaked.

"You don't have to do it alone Stef, I'm your friend. You can talk to me" Shel smiled, overcoming her earlier anger at her friend's secretive nature, as Stephanie blinked in uncertainty.

"Please kiss" She heard Eddie mutter from next to her. She thought their humorous commentary was going to ruin the moment for her.

"I... I oh God Shel I... I WANTED IT!" Stephanie roared before she flung herself at her best friend for a tight hug, as they both cried on... Clementine heard Eddie mutter "Eh... good enough" from next to her.

"Do you always watch soap opera's giving a running commentary?" she finally asked of him, as he shrugged.

"Too hard to resist, If I don't distract myself, I'll get all mushy, and it will ruin my macho image" he told Clementine who merely rolled her eyes and returned to the scene in front of her, as she heard Wyatt asked Eddie "What macho image...?"

Stephanie and Shel must have cried on full a minute before Kenny of all people approached them "Well, we all thought that was really brave of you Stephanie and were sorry for your loss. But remember whether you wanted the baby or not. It was Carver who really killed it. If we weren't here, you wouldn't have felt pressured to do that for us" he commented as Stephanie smiled through her tears at him.

"Thanks, and I guess you do have a point" she told him warmly.

"The baby's gone. But it was a sacrifice Stephanie here made for the greater good!" Kenny began in a motivational speech to the pen dwellers who listened in, as he gained some momentum and carried on.

"With this were all ready! We have enough support to overthrow this asshole Carver and his lapdogs! So this time tonight! Hit them hard and with everything you got!" Kenny shouted, as he earned a few whistles and slight applause at this. Sarita beamed at him from where she stood while Russell merely grunted.

"I still ain't feeling motivated" he whined to Vince.

"Yeah for now. Just wait, this time tomorrow you'll feel more alive than ever" Vince reassured him clasping his back.

To all of them, it was clear that Carver had killed the Mockingbird.

Now, they were ready to shoot all the bluejays they could hit.


	42. Preparations

**A/N: Hello all! Okay, I'm going to thank you for all of your reviews and ask you all one obvious question.**

**What did you make of episode 5?**

**I'll be ready to discuss it to death, so leave your reviews or opinions in PM's. Personally I liked it, I'd give it an 8 out of 10. It had it's strengths and flaws and I loved the fact our choices really did matter in the end (after seeing all the endings). The ending I ended up with (and the one I think is the best for Clementine) is the one where she ends up alone on the hills again. (I know this sounds horrible, but personally seeing how so many characters ended up determinant and therefore dead in my eyes, I no longer trusted anybody as Kenny snapped, Jane turned out to be a manipulating bitch, Mike and Bonnie ditched Clem and Arvo shot her. With this in mind I wanted Clementine to start on a clean slate with the baby, besides she was a pure badass in that ending, although I'm glad we got the option of the happy ending with Kenny) **

**Anyway I'm glad I got the baby's name right AJ, Alvin Junior. Although my prediction of episode 5 at the start of this story failed miserably, I enjoyed the episode and was my second favourite of the season. (I also thought Luke was 23 when he was 27, you'll notice I'll change Nick's age in this chapter based on this) **

**So make your thoughts known, and as for this chapter it's short but a lead up of what's to come. (If you're still reeling after episode 5 like I am, maybe this will get you hyped for something again) anyhow the next chapter the rebellion begins.**

**So... keep reviewing, you're all awesome! **

* * *

Kenny was ready.

Sarita wasn't.

Sarita had to physically anchor Kenny down, by locking down his hand in her own, this was the only thing that prevented him from springing up and pacing in anticipation around the pen. However he expressed his anticipation by tapping his feet rapidly against the ground.

"Stop that" Sarita ordered, massaging her closed eyelids as she sighed.

Kenny slowly stopped patting his feet, as he gazed at his girlfriend.

"I'm kinda nervous" he blurted out shyly, looking up at the shutter, as the night had now fully descended upon the pen.

"I am too Kenny, I am too" she muttered.

They sat there in silence for a little while, before Kenny couldn't stand it any longer.

"Sarita... I'm just want you too know, that whatever happens... I was glad to have met you" he admitted, as she turned to face him.

"It, was great to meet you too Kenny. But I assure you, this is not the end" she told him, as Kenny raised his heavy eyebrows.

"You promise me, you'll shoot?" He begged of her, as she gave him a small smile.

"We don't do what we want Kenny, we do what we need" she said, quoting Carver. However unlike him, she meant what she said.

* * *

Bonnie gazed sadly at where Luke and Jane were leaning against each other.

"Are you okay?" Shel asked her, ever since their emotional reunion, she and Stephanie had been quietly talking to each other. But seeing the sad look on Bonnie's face had caused her to break away from Stephanie from a few seconds and check on her old friend.

"I'm fine Shel" Bonnie responded automatically, her gaze still trained on Luke and Jane. Shel followed her gaze and saw the problem.

"You had something with Luke, didn't you?" She inquired, knowing that in the past Bonnie used to follow Luke around everywhere, Bonnie couldn't see herself keeping quiet about this for much longer.

"We kissed a couple of times" Bonnie admitted, her gaze now fully trained on Luke's every feature. "But... he... moved on. Told me that we had to stop seeing each other. He left with Carlos and the others soon after, I wish I'd gone with them, but..." Bonnie made a long drawn breath, as she continued "It was never meant to be. I might still like him a little, but... his moved on and I guess I've got to as well" she summarised, as Shel gave her sympathetic look.

"Well, at least you had Luke and not Stan" Stephanie chipped in, with a faint smile.

Bonnie had to nod her head slowly at this, Luke may have stopped loving her in that way, a long time ago. Besides he had Jane now and Luke knew better than to act like the "jealous ex", but Luke had treated her kindly and left her with good memories. Things could have been so much worse, she could have been left with a dead baby and a beating.

"Anyway, you ladies ready for this?" Bonnie inquired of Shel and Stephanie, trying to sway the subject. Yet she regretted this instantly as knots grew tighter in her stomach as she looked upon the shutter.

"Ready as I'll ever be. I'm going to make sure Becca's killers pay" Was all Shel had to say, as Bonnie awaited Stephanie's answer.

Despite the condition she was in, Stephanie was ready to fight as she uttered "I'm with Shel here. After what happened to me today, I'm ready to kick some serious ass" she finished her statement as she looked up at Bonnie "And you?"

Bonnie gulped, before she gave her honest answer.

"More terrified then I would be if I was facing a swamp of gators. But...if I die tonight, I'll try to think happy thoughts" she said. Thinking of Luke and of all the good times she had in the past few weeks (despite everything that had happened to them)

She was treasuring the good moments.

* * *

"When we win this rebellion, promise me we'll paint the barricade with unicorns"

"Dude, when we win this thing. The first and only thing I'm promising, is too make you walker bait"

Mike walked up slowly to where Eddie and Wyatt were bickering away, with their usual light humour, he chuckled slightly at Wyatt's comment on walker bait, causing the pair of them too look up.

"I don't know how you keep jokin' through all this" He told them, as Eddie merely shrugged.

"Like I told Clementine earlier, I need some humour otherwise I'll go insane" Eddie said simply, as Mike gazed at the comedic duo of the pen, as he let a serious question escape his lips.

"Aren't you two a little nervous? I know I am" he admitted. Mike had barely known this group at first. But over time he had grown closer to them and saw that they were good people. At first Mike seriously considered just abandoning this group if things got too bad... but now he could see they had humanity and if this rebellion succeeded, then he knew he would love to stick around.

"What happens, happens. There's no point getting nervous over it" Wyatt replied dryly. The most serious reply he would get from these two before Eddie cockily stated "Yeah, besides we'll all be fine, Kenny's here"

"And why is having Kenny here gonna help us?" Mike asked.

"Because he'll just argue Carver to death, if our guns fail"

All three of them were laughing hard after this comment, too Mike, it was so stupid and so random... but he couldn't help himself. For a few seconds he was able to laugh openly and forget about his (most likely) impending death.

* * *

"You ready for this Russ?" Vince asked of his silent younger companion, as Russell swept his black eyes over the pen dwellers once again.

"No, but we ain't got a choice right?" Russell responded sulkily, as rested his head on his arm.

Vince looked ahead at the shutter, before Russell spoke up again.

"Look Vince, I know it's been all round shitty situations lately, but if we actually make it through this. Then... then I just wanna thank you for helping me choose the right side" Russell's words were rushed, as if he was embarrassed to say this to Vince.

Vince eyes softened slightly.

"Well... thanks man" he finally said.

Russell merely grunted in response, clearly not up for a heart to heart. Vince knew this was just the way Russell was.

"You'll live to see this place without Carver" Vince found himself muttering to Russell, "I'll make sure of it" he added, a promise that he would abide too.

"You haven't changed Vince, you're still looking out for us, as our leader" Vince was glad to see he had managed to make Russell actually grin. Vince returned this with his own smile. He knew full well, that Russell would live through this rebellion.

As for himself... he wasn't as sure. But he knew put he'd be willing to lay down his life, as long as it meant he could save one of his friends lives.

* * *

"... I just want you too know, that even though it's only been a few days. Being with you Jane has been one of the best times of my life"

Luke reached the end of his emotional speech to Jane, who (despite her vow to try and yawn it off) was rather touched by it. She didn't say anything for a while, she wasn't a woman of much words, yet the pressure she applied to Luke's hand told him everything. It told him that she appreciated it, it told him that she was also afraid, even if she didn't say it.

"You know it was my birthday a few days ago" Luke piped up randomly.

"Must have been a shitty birthday then" Was Jane's only response as Luke chuckled lightly "You, bet it was" he replied.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Jane felt it was mandatory to ask him this.

"I didn't think it was important, there was no chance I was getting cake anyway" Luke explained, yet that familiar sadness lingered in his eyes as he said it. Either he as truly wanted Cake, or he was sad because...

"It's okay Luke I get it. I know you didn't want to tell everyone. But too me, age ain't nothing but a number. So hitting the big 5-0 doesn't bother me" she joked, as Luke's eyebrows rose in light humour.

"50? That's how old you think I am?" he asked in mock outrage.

"I know, a bit young for you really" Jane added.

"Well what if I said you looked 70?"

"Then I'd resort to very violent things Lukey boy"

Luke smiled back at her warmly, as they both had a short laugh on his topic, before Luke said (in a more serious tone) "Nah, I turned 27"

"Well, happy 27th birthday" Jane told him softly as she handed him an invisible gift.

"Here, it's an imaginary cookie. I thought getting a cake was too mainstream" she mused, as Luke grabbed her empty palm and pulled her closer to his face, as he whispered in her ear.

"I already got the greatest birthday present I could have asked for" he told her lovingly. As Jane felt slightly weak at the knees at Luke's corny comment (he was simply overflowing with them) yet Jane liked it. She never thought she'd be the one to fall for a guy who she would usually cringe at.

But in this world of so much death and destruction (and the upcoming rebellion) she didn't care. As long as she had someone there. Someone to care for her. Because the truth was that Jane couldn't do this alone. Not for much longer. She truly needed someone and she shuddered to think of what she would become, if she was left with no one to love. Or simply left on her own once again.

She would fight in this rebellion, but she would stop fighting alone.

She was part of a team now.

A team she would never leave.

* * *

"Hey Sarah, I lied"

Sarah looked back at Nick, fairly puzzled as they proceeded through the thinning treeline... no doubt they were getting closer to the hardware store.

"Lied about what?" she inquired.

"My age, I always say I'm 21 to people who don't know my actual age"

Sarah didn't seem too surprised by this information, so she wearily asked "So... how old are you really?"

"25 last time I checked"

Nick peered ahead of him through the darkness as Sarah went silent, he doubted that Sarah learning that he was 4 years older than she actually thought, was earth shattering news.

"So did it trick you?" he inquired after the silence grew too heavy.

"Yeah, why did you lie though?" she asked back of him, as she readjusted the square rimmed glasses from the bridge of her nose.

"Me and Luke had trouble growing beards when we were teens. So we thought we'd try and turn the situation on it's head and make light of it. From that day forward we wanted to convince everyone we met we were years younger than we actually were. I should have tried to say I was 18, but that would have been too obvious" he told a serious faced Sarah.

"You have a strange sense of humour Nick" she told him.

"I know"

She couldn't help but smile at this. Nick could scare her sometimes when he got mad, but when he was calm, he was dorky and socially awkward like her at times. She liked him best when he was like this.

She moved forward, until the two of them came across a lone walker in the trees, Nick wasted no time pulling out the kitchen knife from his bag (that he retrieved from the cabin) he used this to slice through the walkers skull, as it fell to the floor in a bloody heap.

"Nice" Sarah complimented, inspecting the corpse as Nick wiped the walker's blood from his knife, onto his trousers.

"Thanks" he said accepting the compliment, however as he did, he noticed that tree's themselves seemed to be moving, alarmed he peered through the black night to find that these things weren't trees, they were outlines of walkers...

They were surrounded by an incoming herd, Sarah shuffled closer to him, as Nick looked down at the walker corpse.

* * *

"What the hell are they doing?" Steve asked the air in front of him, as he watched the tall man slice the walkers' stomach open, and wipe it's guts all over himself and the girl. When they had rubbed themselves into two ruby red sheens of people, they proceeded forwards and too Steve's surprise the nearby walkers didn't notice them. None of them lunged for the odd duo, as they snuck past the walkers in the trees...

"Fuck. Guess they aren't too thick after all" Steve snarled, unable to believe that his group had missed this method of sneaking through herds, when this useless duo had somehow figured it out. Yet Steve already knew that he had learned to do something new, as of today.

"Glad you followed them now?" Lilly asked, as she approached a walker, ready to repeat the method she had just seen the duo perform.

"Yes" Steve replied honestly.

Lilly knew (as she smothered herself in the freezing wet clumps of walker guts) that she had almost made it, to her final destination.

She also knew (as her group of 6 moved behind her) that this would be the very last time she travelled with this group.

No matter what happened.

* * *

Rebecca had carefully balanced herself on the shelves, as she approached the two guards above the pen. The hatchet she had stolen from the armoury was hidden behind her back. She waited until the one of the guards had turned away before she struck.

She wasn't aware she could move so fast. The hatchet buried itself in the man's neck, as he made a choking noise. His splutters caught the attention of the second guard, but at this point, Rebecca had ripped the hatchet from the first man's neck, but before the second man could scream, or lift his rifle to eye level. Rebecca swung her hatchet at him with all her force.

There was a sickening Thunking noise, the hatchet left a large indent in the side of the man's skull. As blood began to leak from his wound, Rebecca pulled the hatchet from his head, as he fell to his knees before he landed on the floor with a dull thud. He twitched for a few seconds, before the puddle of blood around him grew too large and he went still. Rebecca wiped a layer of sweat from her forehead, as she gazed down at the men's corpses.

She had caught them by surprise, that was the only reason that she was alive and they were dead.

Still, the dull echo of when the second man hit the floor, signalled the start of the rebellion. It was like a war cry, but the cry to war, had been more like a whimper.

She tried hard not to think about this, she knew there was No Going Back now, as she left the corpses on the shelves above the pen shutter. She wanted to check on the pen dwellers, or wish them one last goodbye in case things went poorly.

But she thought it would be harder that way, she simply wished them the best and prayed they all got lucky tonight, as she had to face her final demon and overcome it.

She had reached Carver's office door in no time at all.

She was scared, oh so very scared. But she had to do this. She was the reason everyone was here. If she hadn't have let Carver knock her up in the first place, he wouldn't have hunted down the cabin group for his son. Kenny and Sarita wouldn't have been dragged here. She was the true culprit behind everything and now... she was going to make amends to them. By ending this, once and for all.

With her bloody hatchet raised, Rebecca opened the door...

* * *

Clementine was nervously waiting by the shutter, not speaking to anyone as she simply waited.

Her second chance had led her here.

This was truly it.

Was this just to be another death of her's? Dying in the hardware store rather than the snow? Where was the difference? She pulled out her old photo of Lee for some comfort.

"There's no going back now, is there?" she asked of the photo.

Of course the smiling image of Lee wasn't going to answer, but she could imagine him saying too her, in his deep voice that used to soothe her and calm her whenever she panicked, "No, there isn't sweet pea"

A shuffling noise made her head snap up in alarm, pocketing her photo of Lee, she turned towards the shutter as every member of the pen, saw the figures of three guards emerge from the darkness. One of them being the badly shaven man.

"Okay... Rebecca killed the guards. Get your asses moving to the armoury and grab what you can" the badly shaven man instructed.

The shutter was clanking open, everyone was bracing themselves, to make a beeline for the armoury. Clementine was ready to run faster than she had ever run in her life.

_This was it. _


	43. The Rebellion Begins

**A/N: Okay this is now the 5th most reviewed story on the site! (I pick up weird facts like this, but it makes me proud) and again another massive thank you to everyone whose reviewed and stood by this story!**

**apathy- I knew Luke was going to die when he started talking about his birthday and all, and when I saw him on the cracked Ice I knew he was a dead man. I went to go help him and in the end he redeemed himself and got an heroic send off. However I didn't feel anything at his death, I think episodes 3 and 4 did too much damage to his character, although episode 5 did a fantastic job of making me like him again. (If only the guy who wrote episode 5, wrote episodes 3 and 4...) **

**Anyway I agree with you on shooting Kenny, however I couldn't bring myself to forgive Jane and although the alone ending seemed suicidal, it also tells us that Clem and the baby survived for 9 days alone. Henceforth I faith in Clem to raise the baby alone and I wanted the Jane/Kenny show to end. So that if we do meet new characters in season 3, they are given a chance to shine. **

**Eggomypeggo- We share the same mindset. Everyone seemingly hates the alone ending, but I loved it. Because if Jane and Kenny are detriment, if season 3 focuses on Clementine again, there's no doubt they will die within the first five minutes to tie up loose ends. Also I didn't want to drag Kenny through any more suffering, as I found his death in the park a fitting end for him (especially with his last words to Clem) **

**Lockdown- me too, but I'm glad there are others who went with the alone decision. and I'm glad you're looking forward to the rebellion! **

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- I'm glad the episode 5's ending has caused so much debate and differing opinions (as it shows how good of an episode it was) and I like the balanced argument you gave in your review and it made me think more from Jane's perspective. Don't get me wrong, I was fully with Jane when Kenny lost his mind, I was like (You can't blame her for the baby's death. It was going to die anyway in the weather) and then Jane revealed that the baby was alive. I just couldn't forgive her. **

**As you pointed out there are pros and cons of each ending, Wellington seems like a safe haven, but you never know (and you'll be separated from Kenny if you get into the place) so being alone (too me) seemed like the best option. I'm all for groups sticking together, but the group cracked and I only fully trusted Clementine to look after the baby and survive on her own. Anyway your point on Jane being a psychopath and Kenny being a sociopath were spot on. **

**Guest- Thank you for your opinion, your reaction upon learning that Jane had kept the baby alive the whole time, kinda matched my own. And I left Jane, (so I don't think she'll be an issue in season 3) I'm still angry at Mike and Bonnie though. I don't know if I'd kill them however, but that piece of shit Arvo, I'd shoot without a moment's hesitation. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- I agree with your points, as I thought the season was building up to the Kenny/Luke choice, not the Kenny/Jane choice and that final decision was hard to make. But I had to shoot Kenny and your story is still great! I can't wait to see how you handle episode 5.**

**Maximo- Although I disagree with you about Jane being a role model (as logical as she is) it would be interesting to see how this ending would affect Clem. **

**and finally rebloxic and legionary prime thanks for your reviews! **

**And now... the rebellion finally begins...**

* * *

"... You see Tavia, I just can't..."

William Carver's sentence died in his throat when he saw his lover Rebecca, standing pale faced in the doorway. The door itself was slowly creaking open to reveal her rigid form.

"Ah, Rebecca baby, I see you want me to come to bed. I'll be there in a moment. Now as I was saying..." he spoke on to Tavia, who was in his office, leaning over his desk.

"...we can't get them to work on that planned expansion tomorrow, because the left side of trench is still not deep enough. Which is why..."

"Bill" Rebecca interrupted in a cold tone, as she continued to stand there, as she did Tavia's head whipped around, as she glared openly at Rebecca.

"Have you got business here?" she snapped at Rebecca, who merely took a step forward, it was then that Tavia noticed the flecks of blood, on her bright blue shirt.

"yes" Rebecca replied simply, drawing out the bloodied hatchet from behind her back, as Carver's eyes widened, and Tavia reached for her rifle.

"What are you doing Rebecca!?" Carver snapped angrily at her.

"Ending this" Rebecca replied as she charged forwards...

* * *

"MOVE!" The badly shaven man bellowed.

It was madness, Clementine sped out of the pen, as fast as her legs could possibly carry her. Yet she still saw some of the others sprinting ahead of her, she cursed her short legs, as the stomping of the pen dwellers was sure to draw some attention to their group, but she followed the others, feeling as if she was going to fall behind... they were all getting ahead of her.

She wanted to scream "WAIT!" But she knew they'd hit the armoury door sooner rather than later. In fact she could see the red door the armoury right now. Her gut lifted...

"HEY!"

And fell again, as she sensed the form of several of Carver's guards amass the shelves above them, they didn't ask the pen dwellers to stop running. No doubt they knew exactly what was happening, so did the guards on their side. As the badly shaven man and two other guards dropped to their knees and roared "KEEP GOING!" as they opened fired to the figures above them.

The gunshots only propelled Clementine to sprint towards the door even faster, here on the lower ground (without guns) they were sitting ducks. But the armoury was their best bet of survival, she could see the others piling into the armoury now...

WHOOSH

A bullet missed her shoulder by millimetres, yet behind her, a scream of pain met her ears, as she felt like her gut had been dunked in ice, as warm droplets of blood (from one of her friends no doubt) landed on her back and shoulders. She didn't turn around to see who had been shot, but Wyatt's bellow of "EDDIE!" Confirmed it anyhow. She couldn't go back to help him now. She was almost at the door.

She filed into the packed armoury, to see that everyone was already piling guns and feeding empty magazines with tons of small bullets. She looked behind her to see Wyatt carry in a pale Eddie. The bloodstain on his shoulder was expanding fast and his eyes were losing their focus...

"Shit! Eddie's been shot!" Bonnie screamed to the group.

"The meds are on the other side of damn store! Were trapped in here!" Mike bellowed in panic, (he wasn't usually the one to panic, but he found he was unable to jam bullets into the empty magazine for the rifle he was holding, as his hands shook so bad).

"Then we'll get there!" Kenny shouted, Clementine looked up to see him, carrying two heavy machine guns in both of his hands, with two bullet belts laid across his chest. A crazed look in his eyes as he prepared himself to shoot something. Yet the sight of Kenny, was imposing enough to make Clementine whistle in an impressed manner, a weak Eddie's face lightened up at seeing Kenny like this.

"Wow dude... that's fucking badass" he muttered, before he had a violent coughing fit, Wyatt held his shoulders, as blood poured from between his teeth.

"We gotta get those meds soon, or Eddie's gonna bleed out!" Bonnie screamed.

Just as she finished screaming this, a distinctive BOOM from outside, that made the roof shake and damage everyone's ears. The shaking was so severe that some (Sarita, Russell, Shel and Stephanie) fell to the floor, as the lights flickered on overhead.

The door burst open once again, bringing with it about 6 guards, blackened and smoking, as the scent of burnt flesh and clothes made Clementine's eyes water.

"THEY'VE GOT EXPLOSIVES ON THEM!" One of the guards roared, over the increasing noises of the grumbles of explosions and pitter patter of gunfire.

"There gonna blow this whole place up! We gotta spread out, grab the meds. Hell we could all use them at some point!" Jane shouted, as the door behind them was almost blown off it's hinges, as Clementine heard bits of rubble (and other things) smash into the armoury door.

"Okay... okay..." Kenny approached the door, trying to block out the sound of his own heart beating rapidly in his ears. "Me, Mike, Bonnie, Sarita and Wyatt will lay down a suppressing fire. Giving some of you guys to get a chance to get outta here and get the damn meds!"

No one objected to his instruction (seeing as they had no other plans) Stephanie stood tall as the others crowded around the door "I know where the meds are. I'll go there"

Kenny nodded and uttered "Good luck" to her, as she prepared her rifle and pocketed a small (but sharp) hunting knife in her belt. She'd have a feeling she need it, if the enemy got to close for comfort.

"I'm coming with you" Shel said instantly. No one objected to this either, as Kenny looked around "Anyone else?"

"Me and Jane will go, we both just agreed" Luke spoke up, as Kenny gave him a more curt nod.

"I'm going too"

Clementine was aware of her small voice cutting through the sounds of the out of control rebellion. Kenny stared down at her disbelief as Sarita approached her, with her lower lip trembling.

"Clementine... it's too dangerous" she whimpered, but another violent BANG from outside stopped her, as she covered her head with her arms. But Seeing as the door wasn't going to fly off it's hinges and hit her, She returned to her normal posture, still fearful however of the dangers present.

"It's just as dangerous here, besides I'm little, they'll have more trouble hitting me" She reasoned, Sarita couldn't find any way to disagree with her, Kenny looked down at her "Stay Safe Clem" it wasn't a warning. It was a command and one Clementine was going to obey.

"Sure" she responded as she readied herself by the door. As she heard the badly shaven man mutter "I'll go with her and make sure, she stays safe" and another guard (the same woman who survived the ordeal at the trenches with him and Russell, also volunteered to go with them).

They were ready, Clem stood between the badly shaven man and Shel. Stephanie (despite her state after her abortion) looked ready to run like she had never run before. As her hands were twitchy as she had to wait by the closed door. Ready to lead the way to where the meds were stored.

Behind her, Luke and Jane shielded Clementine, with the other woman bringing up the rear of the group .

"Okay... in 3..." Kenny began to countdown.

The whole room tensed.

"2..."

Clementine took a deep breath

"1..."

No one made a sound.

"NOW!" Kenny exploded, as he slammed open the door, as more horrible stenches and a torrent of noise overcame little Clementine. Kenny was firing rapidly above him, Bonnie was trying to aim more carefully, whereas Mike seemed to have shaky aim. Sarita was nervously shooting above her, with her small pistol. As Wyatt fired like a madman. Determined to save his bleeding out friend, as Clementine saw Stephanie run into the madness, Shel was moving next to her, as Clementine felt her legs move and she leaped into the fray.

It was madness, corpses of guards already lay bullet strewn on the tiled floor and the bodies of a few guards lay slumped in odd angles, up on the shelves. Clementine ran forward using her hands to cover her head, wary of any stray bullets, as she blindly followed Stephanie's mane of black hair, praying for the best. Praying for the best...

"GET DOWN!" Someone suddenly roared in her ear, as she felt herself violently get shoved down the ground. A maelstrom of bullets rang close to her, as she heard someone inhale sharply and grunt in pain. Before a body slumped next to her's... she was covered in the spray from whoever's crimson blood that once was. Aware of the threat, she tried to rise from the slippery ground, but her legs slipped and her arms ached. She had used them to break her violent fall to the floor.

Before she could panic, a pair of arms wrapped around her armpits and hoisted her back onto her feet. She looked up to see Luke was her saviour, with Jane slightly to his left. Clementine automatically looked back to see the corpse of the badly shaven man. Laid down on his face, as a pool of blood grew from around his body.

"He... he saved me" Clementine found herself saying, as they ran on, after Shel and Stephanie who were ahead of them.

"He pushed you outta the way. That man saved your life Clem" Luke informed her, as they rounded a corner and the sounds of the gunfire subsided slightly.

"I... I didn't even know his name" she admitted guiltily.

"Maybe that's for the best" Jane said.

But too Clementine, the weight of the nameless man's death hit her hard. He was the first causality of this rebellion and he had given his life to save her's.

And what was worse, is that seeing the chaos around her. She knew he wasn't going to be the last causality of the night.


	44. Burn With Me

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews!**

**Sventhecrusader- I love having new fans, so thanks for reading my story and yeah my grammar and punctuation fails me at times. But I'm glad you like the idea behind the story and I'll try to make this rebellion as climatic as possible.**

**AquadDestinysEmbrace- Loving your story (and Shel and Becca within it) and thanks for you reviews!**

**leafs nation- Thanks! and I can't thank everyone enough for giving me reviews and taking the time to read and I'm glad you consider this a good AU story. As I try to keep the characters as themselves (with some development). One of the motto's I try to keep by while writing this is "Change Events, but not the characters".**

**apathy- You'll have to see about Rebecca and thanks for the review and about the people who killed both Kenny and Jane and then found AJ alive. That had to be the most tragic ending, not only had Kenny killed someone (and then the players shot him) only to discover that the baby was alive the whole time... in my ending at least Kenny got his last emotional speech.**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- If you hate people you like getting shot, I think you're going to hate this chapter. Anyway as for the Luke/Kenny thing I did find it odd that it suddenly turned to Kenny/Jane, When Luke/Kenny had been bickering since episode 2. I agree with you that the choice was at the end was great. Although I'm not sure I could see Luke pulling that off (but you never know, I never expected Mike to betray the group either).**

**I agree however that Kenny/Luke would have been a better choice. Although I heard they changed it at the last minute for a different reason, apparently the developers were getting disgusted by the prospect of "Cluke" and killed him off due to that. It sounds ridiculous, but apparently that is one of the reasons. A lot of people are blaming someone called "Lexi Porter" for it. (I don't have a clue who this is meant to be, but if anyone knows be sure to let me know).**

**Either way I am slowly starting to see a pattern on this fandom. I had the misfortune of coming across a "Click" story the other day. That's right a Nick/Clem shipping. I swear, the nightmare Nick has in the story is meant to show exactly how wrong this sort of paedophilia is and how reading it is meant to make Nick (and the reader) uncomfortable. If I see a "Narah" story out there, then I might just give up. **

**Eggomypeggo- Considering he gets the group on Clem no matter what and that he shoots Clem rather than Kenny. I would say probably not.**

**and finally Maximo and Lockdown you'll just have to see about Rebecca, and thanks for your reviews! **

**Okay, on the rebellion! **

* * *

Rebecca charged forwards, her hatchet shining off the lights of the hardware store, she moved so fast... but Tavia was faster. She had nearly brought her hatchet down upon the African american woman, before Tavia used the butt of the rifle to whack it across Rebecca's face. Grunting in pain, Rebecca fell to the floor, feeling her cheek get hot and boiling blood pour down her cheek.

"Don't fucking move!" Tavia snapped, the barrel of her rifle, in the depths of Rebecca's curly brown hair.

"That's enough Tavia" Carver ordered, as a wide eyed Tavia turned to her leader.

"BILL...!" She begun.

"I know, but I want to know why she did this" Carver mused, with a sadistic smile spreading on his face. However before he could approach Rebecca, the walkie talkie on his desk sprung to life, answering his question.

"BILL...THE PEN DWELLERS, THEY'VE ESCAPED... THEIR OPENING FIRE ON US...!"

The recording cut to static, as Carver rushed to the large window to his office, as Rebecca heard the first sounds of the gunfire and a few explosives go off below her. She managed to lift her head, to see the silhouettes of Carver's men on the shelves, firing down on her friends.

Carver pulled out his walkie talkie and growled "Stan..."

Stan nasally tones flooded through his office, as Stan loudly shouted through the walkie talkie "BILL! THERE'S A...!"

"I'm not fucking blind Stan. I've got a situation up here, so I'll be down to join you shortly. In the meantime my orders and stick- by-them..." Carver commanded in an icy voice, as Stan muttered "Okay..."

_"Kill them all, but spare the girl" _

Rebecca could only crouch there, her hatchet still in her fingers, but she knew one false move, would end with a bullet in her brain. No doubt Bill was going to give her some final speech or something like that. She gulped and knew she would have to remain calm, and give her friends as much time as possible to kill Carver's men. Before William Carver himself showed up on the scene and boosted morale.

She dared to look up, Tavia would kill her in a heartbeat, had Bill not given the order to spare her for the moment. Bill himself turned back to face her, a look of rage in his eyes that made Rebecca scowl. Personally she didn't care what Bill had to say anymore.

That was until, she heard the cries of Alvin Jr in his coat. The noises outside had awakened him.

A dozen things flew through Rebecca's mind. Why did Bill want Clementine spared? What would he do ,with her son, when she was dead? How would Bill kill her? How long would it take?

Bill opened his mouth to speak...

* * *

"WERE HERE!" Stephanie screamed, as she flew into the small room, where the meds were stacked on the walls, but a solitary figure in the middle of the room, stopped her in her tracks.

"Nobody move and close the door behind you" Stan ordered as he lowered a walkie talkie from his mouth, using the other hand to raise his powerful pistol to his eye level as he trained it on Stephanie.

Shel lifted her gun from her belt...

"Don't... or I'll shoot her" Stan warned, gazing directly at Stephanie. Shel seemed to hold her gun on his form for a while. Before she finally lowered it, knowing she wouldn't be able to shoot him quick enough, without him killing her best friend in retaliation.

"Now all of you come in, put your guns to the floor, or she gets it!" he suddenly lunged at Stephanie who was a foot in front of him, and wrapped his arm around her neck, as he used her as a human meat shield, as she struggled in his grip.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS! ALL OF EM, DROP THEM! OR I WILL KILL HER!" Stan roared, his eyes nearly popping out of his head, his face a beet red shade, with veins popping from his neck. Luke, Jane and Clementine slowly trailed in behind Shel, dropping their guns to the floor, as Clementine could tell that Stan was deadly serious about his threat and she wasn't allowing another one of her friends to die.

Jane closed the door behind them, the sounds of the gunfire became muffled, as Stan smiled.

"Good, now get over there" he snapped, gesturing to a dark corner of the room, slowly but surely the group moved in that direction (Clementine realised that the woman at the rear of the group beforehand, was no longer present. Either she had been shot down, or got separated from them) either way Shel, Luke, Jane and Clementine. Reaching this corner of the room, Stan used his free hand to keep the pistol aimed in their direction. "Get on the ground and put your hands up!" he instructed harshly.

The four of them did so. Clementine noticed how Jane's eyes, flickered from Stan, back to the guns that lay on the floor next to him.

"Don't" she whispered, as Stan turned away from them (yet his pistol still pointed in their direction) as he used his legs to kick a small desk in front of the door, he dragged Stephanie along with him, who moaned in his grip and tried to pry herself free, to no avail.

"Good, now we won't be interrupted" he mused, as he faced the pen dwellers again.

"Just let us go Stan" Shel began in (let's just try and talk about this sensibly) kind of voice. Yet Stan's insane howls a mere second later, made her words ring hollow.

"Let you go!? Then where would be the fun in that!?" He mused, he was no longer angry... but excited? This prospect chilled Clementine, as Stan made unstable twitchy movements, it looked as if he was trying to reach for something in his pocket, while still keeping his arm around Stephanie's neck and his pistol trained on the group.

"We just need Meds for Eddie, please let us go!" Clementine pleaded in her most innocent voice (mastering her puppy dog eyes) yet Stan's hellish black eyes didn't show a single twitch of remorse, or guilt for doing this to an 11 year old. Instead he simply muttered "No"

"You can help us! We don't have to kill you! It's not too late!" Jane offered, but her offer was of no use, as Stan didn't even answer her. He simply shook his head.

"Mmmmm..." Stephanie tried to say, yet Stan arm was digging into her throat so tightly, she could barely utter a word without trying to gasp for air.

"You know I just spoke to Bill" Stan said, gazing at the pen group, but then again he wasn't gazing at them at all. It was if he was looking past them at something else, that they couldn't see.

No one spoke, as he continued his monologue.

"Bill said to kill you all, but spare the girl"

"You...can't..." were the only words from Stephanie were plausible, before she ended up coughing once again and gasping for some much needed air. Stan carried on as if nothing had happened.

"But I'm done with Bill, I like to do things my own way" Stan muttered darkly, his walkie talkie fell to the ground and this point. Stan crushed it with his boots, as Clementine felt her gut fall through the floor. This wasn't good at all.

"I'm sorry! Just take me! I'm the one who aborted our baby!" Stephanie managed to blurt out, before Stan held onto her neck tighter, silencing her once again. As he finally managed to complete his journey to his pocket he pulled out a small object that Clementine couldn't see.

"It's too late for all that. Don't you get it?" he snarled into Stephanie's ear, before he suddenly released her, with a violent shove towards the ground. Stephanie landed flat on her face, as Stan placed his boot on her back to prevent her from moving.

"It'S oVeR!" He suddenly screamed (rather deranged) to the celling. "We'RE aLL GoNnA dIE, lEt'S mAKe iT fAIr foR EvERyOnE!" Stan's voice was broken, as tears flooded down his cheeks. Clementine was truly frightened now.

"JUST STOP IT!" Stephanie screeched to no avail. Stan was still weeping, but smiling as he began to strike a match against a matchbox.

"If I'M GoNNa BuRn, Y'All gOnNa bUrN wiTH ME!" Stan roared, as the match set alight, without even hesitating he dropped it to the floor.

"NO!" Luke bellowed, to little to late, as the single orange flame, hit a pile of discarded papers on the floor. The papers curled and burned, without even thinking about it, Clementine took a few steps towards the door. Before Stan bellowed "GeT BaCK doWN THerE GIrl! WeRE aLL gONnA bUrN!"

Clementine slowly retraced her steps back from the corner, but as she crouched down again, Luke spoke up "THIS IS MADNESS STAN! LET US GO!"

Stan merely shook his head, as he prepared another match...

"FUCK! HIS GONNA BURN DOWN THIS WHOLE PLACE!" Jane roared, as Stan flung another match, onto the shelf behind him.

"Please... just stop..." Stephanie whimpered, but it was no use. Stan's foot was firmly pinning her in place, and the guns were too far away for her too reach. She suddenly remembered the knife in her belt. Only to discover a second later, that was also in the pile of weapons on the floor. "Were screwed" she thought sadly, as Stan threw a third match.

"NoBOdy gETs meDS nOw!" Stan shouted in a jolly tone.

"We gotta do something!" Jane gasped to Luke.

"I'm thinkin', I'm thinkin'..." Luke repeated, as if he were a stuck record, with no answers.

Clementine thought it took a while for Luke to think of a solution. Meanwhile the fires slowly ate their way through the shelves of medical supplies, with each passing second, more meds were destroyed. The temperature increased, grey smoke began to clog the room, obscuring Clementine's vision and making her cough violently. She tried to breathe more slowly to avoid inhaling the trapped toxic fumes of the fire... but it was no good, the flames were now licking through to the celling of the small room.

Despite all this Stan's pistol was still trained on the four in the corner, as he looked down at Stephanie "Aw sweet Stef, we can burn together now, we don't have to worry about babies, or getting food and drink. Or whose on whose side. It will peaceful..." he was garbling on in aloof manner. As if they were children about to enter Disneyland and were vaguely excited about what wonders it had to offer.

"Okay... I'll run forward and disarm this fucker. You three get to safety" Luke muttered at last. His eyes were set on Stan as he gulped, and tensed his body. Preparing to sprint at him.

"No!" Jane said, holding him down, as her smaller hand locked around his larger one. "You'll die Luke" she pleaded, her eyes getting watery (and that wasn't because she was choking on the smoke).

"I know, but... were all gonna die. If I don't do something" Luke replied back, the two shared (what they thought) would be their last loving look at one another. before a dull voice responded to their left.

"Screw this" Shel remarked, as she stood up and sprinted towards Stan, Luke and Jane looked too shocked for words, but Clementine managed to roar (above the rumble of the flames) "SHHELLL...!"

It happened in a dreamlike quality, Shel ran forward and Stan managed to land one perfect bullet in Shel's heart, yet just because of this Shel didn't stop moving. With her last ounces of strength she wrestled Stan pistol away from him. He tried to fire another shot, but the bullet ended up in his leg, as he screamed and fell to the floor.

"SHEL!" Stephanie screamed, running towards her friend, who slowly collapsed onto the floor, with a small red hole in her clothing, where her heart was located. Clementine was chillingly reminded of Omid, as a tiny tear escaped her eyelids. She felt numb, but she was aware of Jane moving her, and Luke opening the door, a gust of colder air swept into the burning room. Jane plopped two pistols into her numb fingers, as the smoke was beginning to make her go dizzy...

"Get Clem out of here!" Clementine heard Luke shout, the world was defiantly starting to spin now, as she was aware of Jane almost carrying her from that furnace of a room. Looking up, she wiped her eyes and coughed that those toxic fumes from her lungs.

"Let it all out" Jane said softly, patting her on the back, as Clementine coughed until her throat was sore...

Back in the room, Luke was carrying whatever sort of meds were left, looking back into the burning room, he bellowed "STEPHANIE! COME ON!"

"I'll be with you in a minute Luke" she responded, tearfully turning to him. Luke could see that in her arms lay a dying Shel. He respectfully decided to leave them, as Stephanie faced Shel.

"This is all my fault..." she sobbed, as Shel quietly shussed her and mutter calmly "It's not... Stef... it's not..."

"I stole from our last group, you saved me then. I'm the one who was messing around with Stan and you saved me again" she explained, as she tightened her grip on her dying best friend, as the tears fell freely from both of their eyes.

"I wanted to repay you" Stephanie croaked.

"You... did... though" Shel responded, she gave a weak cough, as she shivered as Stephanie pulled her closer. Shel looked up again, her shiny maple eyes slowly losing their colour...

"You... repaid me every day Stef. Just by being there and being supportive, I don't know... how I'd have got through Becca's death without you" she told the younger raven haired woman. Stephanie smiled slightly, as Shel felt herself slowly ebb away.

"What... do you reckon the first thing Becca's gonna say to me. When I see her?" Shel managed to ask, as Stephanie sniffed loudly, but managed to give a response.

"Ugh, I can't believe you let yourself get killed like that Sis" Stephanie said, in a perfect impression of Becca's voice, Shel let out her last laugh at this and uttered "Yeah... that will be Becca alright" as she looked at the black celling.

"It doesn't hurt Stef" she told her friend, as the blackness started to overcome her. As Stephanie remained silent... praying this wasn't real. Her friend Shel, her best friend, after everything they had been through. After losing Becca and Roman, they were only two left of their group and now Shel was going to die? No. Stephanie couldn't be alone. Stephanie felt like she didn't deserve to be alive after all that she had done, and yet here was Shel. Slowly dying in her arms.

Life was cruel.

"Promise me... you'll make the watchdogs again... just like we agreed..." Shel's eyes were slowly shutting, as Stephanie quickly nodded.

"I promise" she croaked, as her tears landed on Shel's jumpsuit, but quickly dried to the temperature.

"And promise... me... you'll win this... and make those fuckers pay..." Shel croaked.

"I promise" Stephanie sobbed.

Shel had no time left, Stephanie quickly gripped her friend's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, as Shel gave out one last smile to her.

_"You were the best friend I ever had"_

With these words Shel went limp in Stephanie's arms, Stephanie let out a howl of grief, as tears cascaded down her cheeks, as she hugged her friend's corpse and rocked it in her arms.

And then she heard Stan laugh.

* * *

"Where's Stephanie?" Jane asked, as a blackened Luke emerged from the room, where smoke was now freely pouring into the hardware store, that fire was out of control...

"She... she wanted to say goodbye to Shel" Luke muttered weakly, falling to his knees next to Clementine, he gazed at her. Clementine sniffed, as Luke pulled her in for a comforting hug.

"She died to save us, never forget that" Luke whispered into her ear while rubbing Clementine's back, as Clem slowly let the tears fall from her eyes and onto his shoulder. As she clung to him tightly, thinking about Shel, the kind and calm woman in the pen. Now she was dead and gone. Clementine expected there to be deaths, but she hadn't realised how emotionally attached she had grown on everyone. It was her plan all along to keep them all alive and all those nights in the pen...

These people were her _family_ now. Losing one of them... it devastated her.

But she knew how to overcome her grief, for now at least. She was needed to fight and not cry, she regained herself quickly after Luke released her from his arms. He always knew when someone needed comforting...

But before any of them could speak up again, a shrill inhuman shriek of "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" crashed into their eardrums from inside the room, Clementine had never heard Stephanie so angry, in fact she doubted she heard anybody who was that angry, as Stephanie's screams made even her, shiver in fear...

"Holy shit" was all Jane could utter. Holy shit indeed.

"NOW... JUST... FUCKING... DIE!" Stephanie sounded more like a demonic banshee than a human being, as Clementine heard a faint stabbing noise come from the room and then again... and again... and again... Stan was screaming now... but he didn't scream for long, as the stabbings happened in rapid succession. Luke stared at the door with wide eyes, none of them were paying any attention to the rebellion behind them. (The guards were too busy focusing on other targets).

Stan screams died with a pained choke. Clementine was glad she the thick smoke was obscuring the room entirely. She didn't want to know what Stan looked like now.

After an eerie silence from the burning room, Luke called out "Stef!" nervously.

A single gunshot rang from the room. Luke's eyes widened in panic, but before he could go back into the room, Stephanie emerged, her clothes, her face and her hair, were drenched in blood. She glared at the floor, her blue eyes a shade of icy grey, in one hand was the gun (she no doubt used to ensure Shel didn't come back) and in the other hand, was the sharp knife she had packed with her. It's silver surface was now dripping (with what seemed like galleons) of Stan's warm blood.

Luke opened his mouth to speak.

"Let's go" was all Stephanie said.

Jane, Luke and Clementine followed her back into the fray. With Clementine expecting the worst.


	45. Tearing Up

**A/N- 300 REVIEWS! Thanks for everyone whose stopped to read and give their opinions! In a few chapters this story should be wrapped up. So I'll thank everyone (once again) for their support along the way.**

**Rebloxic- Thanks for your reviews and Shel's death took longer than I though it would to write. Well, I'd want them to have emotional deaths rather than "Nick" deaths.**

**Bubbles2k100- Thanks for giving me my 300th review. (Feels like I've hit another milestone) and I the suspense is only going to increase.**

**Martial Arts Master- Thanks for answering the question and I've been trying to look up this Lexi Porter and eurgh... is all I can say. I think her wishing death upon Kenny's voice actor just told me all I needed to know. But if it's true that her (and others) who shipped "Cluke" were one of the reasons the developers decided to kill off him off, then screw the Cluke shippers. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Yep, poor Shel and as for your story I liked the Dylan and Anne moments, it was nice to see them opening up to each other.**

**Lockdown- I seem to have caused a lot of "feels" with the last chapter. I feel like Telltale now.**

**Maximo- Thanks, the 400 days characters (after their minimal roles in episode 3) were just sitting there almost begging for a fanfic to come along and do something with them. I couldn't miss that opportunity. **

**Eggomypeggo- Feeling like Stephanie in the last chapter then? Anyway thanks for your review and continued support! **

* * *

Stephanie ducked down and fired into the shelves above her, Clementine doubted she hit anyone in her grieving state.

"Damn! We can't run back to the armoury without getting torn to pieces!" Luke yelled, gazing around at the raindrops of bullets, that slowly ripped chunks from the tiled floor. From behind them, the fire in the room, jam packed with meds was beginning to roar, as the smoke grew darker and thicker...

"Thanks to that crazy fuck, if we get injured now. Were finished" Luke spat.

"Well let's not get injured then. What have you got on you?" Jane asked, as Luke looked down at the meds he had managed to grab in the madness.

"Pills...a few bandages...a bottle of peroxide... a few syringes and a small bottle of painkillers" Luke told them helplessly, as he gazed at the open armoury door for a few seconds. Before he ducked back into cover, as a few bullets whizzed past where his head had been a few seconds ago.

"Fuck, no one's around the armoury door. They must have branched out somewhere!" Luke was trying to control his chattering teeth, as he glanced around wildly. Yet, as he panicked, Stephanie remained seemingly tranquil, Clementine was about to ask her if she was "alright". (She doubted it would help, but she had to try). However before Clementine could stutter a single syllable, Stephanie herself spoke up.

"Give me the meds" she demanded of Luke in a deadpan voice.

Judging by what they had just heard, no one wanted to disagree with a blood splattered Stephanie. Luke handed her the meds almost instantly, as the fell into her hands. She sighed and looked up.

"Okay, now cover me" she instructed them, before (just like her best friend did minutes before) she sprinted off to certain death.

"SHIT!" Jane screamed.

"STEPHANIE!" Luke roared.

Out of the two of them, Clementine retained her senses, she didn't yell for Stephanie's safety. Instead she shot for it. Clementine simply aimed her dual pistols and fired upwards, it was hard to hit them, as the guards had amassed small barricades at the top of the shelves to protect themselves. Yet with Clementine's suppressing fire, they crouched behind their little barricades for a little while longer, allowing Stephanie to sprint between the shelves towards the armoury door.

Luke and Jane quickly regained their senses and upon seeing Clementine shooting they aimed their rifles upwards and fired rapidly. Stephanie disappear safely into the armoury doorway. Just as a body hit he floor, Clementine couldn't be sure on which of them had shot down that woman. But she lay dead on the floor regardless.

With Stephanie safe, the three of them quickly dived behind their shelf once again, as bullets rung against the steel on the other side. "Fuck. Stephanie scared the shit outta me" Jane hissed, as she glared to the celling "Honestly after everything Shel did to save her. She wants to disregard her own life? Just like that? She's turning into a loose cannon" Jane explained as Clementine couldn't help but nod in agreement. She was sure Stephanie didn't want to kill herself, it was just when people grieved... they acted differently.

"Luke, you okay?" Jane asked, turning to him. Luke ran a hand through his blackened hair and groaned "Fuck... fuck... that was me"

"What was you?" Clementine felt inclined to ask.

"It was me. I fired and I know it was me who shot that woman dead... it's just... fuck. This isn't who I wanted to become" He muttered sadly gazing at the floor, as guilt tore through his body.

"Luke!" Jane begun harshly as she approached her "boyfriend", crouching over him, she forcefully lifted his head, so his eyes were locked on her's.

"Look at me! Don't let the guilt eat away at you! Not now! We don't need to linger on moralistic bullshit! It's kill or be killed, we can deal with all the other shit later! But not now! If you wanna stay alive you gotta do this!" Jane seemed to almost seemed to be pleading with him.

"She's right Luke, we don't have a choice" Clementine added.

With this, Luke's eyes finally lifted, as he licked his dry lips nervously and finally muttered (in a quiet voice) "I don't like it. But I'll... I'll do it"

"Good" Jane said warmly, as she patted his back. Inhaling deeply, Luke's former posture (and tone of voice) returned, as he quickly peered his head around the shelf, before ducking it back in again.

"Okay, any ideas?" he asked of the two females behind him.

"We could try lay a suppressing fire and running to the armoury" Clementine suggested, as Luke shook his head.

"Nah, too risky" Luke told her.

"We could just stay here and keep shooting" Jane suggested, of course Luke was going to agree to that suggestion. As he told the pair of them "Well, that sounds like the only thing we can do right now" But as he said this Jane gave him a hard stare.

"Luke, the pen's just back there. We could..." Jane began, as Luke gazed backwards.

"We could find cover in the pen!" Clementine piped up, but when Luke gazed down at her sadly, she knew that wasn't the answer.

"Clem... if things start going badly. There's a loose plank in the barricade in the pen. We'll use that to get outta here, should things go badly" Luke tone of voice, was that of a beggar, pleading for money.

"Are you suggesting we just abandon everyone!?" Clementine spat out angrily as Luke flinched.

"No, I'm just sayin'..." Luke begun, before Jane suddenly yelled "MOVE!"

There was no time to react, Clementine had only just got up to run. When something to her left exploded violently. She covered her head as the intense and seering heat from the explosive burnt back of her arms too a raw red colour, the shockwave of the explosive also sent her flying backwards and she hit the wall harder than she expected, feeling the wind get knocked out of her, she fell to the floor in a heap.

Her vision was shaky, her ears were ringing violently, so much so that the distant sounds of Luke telling her to "RUN!" felt like they were coming from the other end of a tunnel. Luke kept bellowing things, but she couldn't locate where he or Jane were...it was madness. A shelf (the one she Luke and Jane had been hiding behind previously) collapsed to the floor due to the force of the explosion.

Whoever was on top of it, were stumbling around, their guns still in hand, as they violently charged at the opposing force. A fresh wave of screams reached Clementine's bleeding ears. Yet she still couldn't concentrate on anything... her vision still blurred, her head felt like it weighed a ton... the actual noises of the raging rebellion seemed muffled in her still ringing ears...

She was however aware of a hulking black silhouette, stumbling her way... no not stumbling her way. Stumbling towards her. Directly towards her. His meaty hands were outstretched, as he breathed in and outwards heavily...

There was no time to waste, using all of her willpower. Clementine managed to get herself to her weak feet, as she stumbled blindly into the pen.

The man shouted something inaudible behind her.

"Loose plank... loose plank... loose plank..." was all Clementine could think, remembering how Luke had mentioned it too her before. Mere moments ago, she sprinted towards the barricade and quickly began to dislodge, bits and bobs of wood blindly...

The man was approaching her. She could tell even if she couldn't hear his footsteps.

Eventually a small plank came loose, it collapsed dully to the floor, as Clementine ducked down and crawled under the small space easily. It was only then (as the buzzing in her ears abruptly stopped) she was released from her somewhat hazy state. She realised then that her cap was absent from her head and that her dual pistols weren't in her hands.

"Fuck..." she swore, glancing around the empty car park quickly, she saw approaching walkers falling into the trench. For now she was safe from them. But soon there would be too many for the trench to deal with, and what was worse is that Clementine didn't have a single thing on her too protect herself with.

She heard a crashing behind her, the large black bearded man was squeezing through the tiny space. With a crash he pulled through and shot a hate fuelled glance at Clementine. The 11 year old had no time to think, only to turn away from him and sprint across the bare gravel. Unsure of where she was going, but she knew she had to get away from him.

It didn't work, the man was faster. She could hear him gaining on her, his deep breaths causing goosebumps to shoot up her spine. She tried closing her eyes and running as fast as she could, but when she felt the man's chunky fingers drag her back by the shoulder. She knew it was game over.

He was armed with a large gun and a hunting knife, but had not used them for some reason. as Clementine fell to the floor (upwards and facing him) as he grinned down at her.

"Don't run pretty little thing" he told, as a drop of his saliva, landed squarely on Clementine's nose. With this she clasped her eyes shut and tried to struggle from his grip.

"Don't struggle. Bill wants you alive. So I'll send him too you alive, but I reckon I'll have to stop you from struggling, and learn to enjoy... my company" he finished darkly, as he used his one hand to slowly pull down the zipper on his trousers...

* * *

Stephanie tore back into the armoury, she saw Wyatt still bent over a now unconscious Eddie. Mike was bent over in the corner while Russell and Vince shot out and up onto the shelves.

"Did you get the meds!?" Wyatt bellowed at her.

"Here" she muttered dropping them into Wyatt's hands, Wyatt was instantly using the supplies to help his friend. Stephanie knew it was better not to interrupt him, as she pulled her gun at once again and joined Vince and Russell.

"What's going on? Where is everybody!?" She yelled, as Russell fired at the top of the shelves.

"The others all took off! Wyatt's been looking after Eddie! Mike over there, just... well he froze up. I can hardly blame him" Vince said sympathetically, as Mike seemed to be rocking on the spot. Holding his pistol to his chest.

Not knowing what on earth had come over him. He had dealt with the worst fires possible back in his old job and now here he was. Frozen up, his heart hammering away on his ribcage like a jack-hammer. As much as he willed his limbs to move, each extra burst of gunfire, or another dull explosion caused him to shrink into himself.

"Fuck... fuck... fuck..." were the only panicked words that sprouted out from his voicebox.

"Where are the guys that went with you!?" Vince yelled back, as Russell stop firing for a second and ducked back behind cover.

"Clem, Jane and Luke are back there!" Was all Stephanie yelled, she wouldn't dare mention Shel. Yet when she didn't, Vince did.

"Where's Shel!?" He asked.

Stephanie didn't reply, as she felt familiar tears sting at her eyes, as Vince gazed fully at her blood drenched and broken form, as the truth hit him hard.

"No, not Shel!" He begged of her. His face sinking, as Stephanie slowly nodded. For a minute Vince couldn't breathe... he froze in place. Sensible, level headed Shel. The woman he spoke too so much. The woman he admittedly had a crush on, he always thought she'd be one of the last one of them standing. After all that time they spent together in their camp...

She was gone. Dead.

Her and Becca were now both dead.

"Fuck... just fuck..." Vince stuttered, aware of his voice getting smaller and more broken with each word he uttered.

Russell heard the news, as did a nearby Wyatt. Russell let it sink in, before he fired back at the Carver's guards with more rage in his gut than had ever been present before. Whereas Wyatt quickly returned to patching up Eddie. Trying hard not think about Shel, the only thing he could do was move his hands over Eddie's wound to ensure his friend wouldn't meet a similar fate.

After a minute of grieving, the trio did what they had too. Which was too regain their senses and fire back at Carver's guards, they would have to mourn for Shel later on. As for now they had no time to waste and a rebellion to win.

"How many are there...?" Russell began to ask, before Vince quickly screamed "MOVE!" He flung himself at Russell. Saving the young man's life, as the explosive went off in the middle of the door, as bits of debris soared past where Russell's head had been moments before. Stephanie fell backwards just in time as well, as the explosive that just went off, made the whole store shake and Vince heard the colossal sound of the large shelves collapsing in the distance.

"Thanks man" Russell complimented him, as Vince smiled at his young friend, the aftermath of the explosion, Russell used this too his advantage to fire up into the shelves at Carver's stunned guards. He must have killed two of them in quick succession.

"VINCE! I GOT THEM!" He yelled in triumph.

Vince cracked another small grin. The tide seemed to be changing.

And then it went off.

The explosive had been purposely thrown towards the armoury door. No one heard of saw it, so when it went off, Vince could say he was fairly surprised as he fell back. His ears were buzzing, but too his relief, the explosive hadn't broken down the wall to the armoury, he stood up to find Stephanie gazing back at him, but no Russell in the doorway.

Vince found that odd, but he thought it was nothing to worry about. Until he heard a pained choked noise. He turned back.

His heart stopped.

Russell was standing there, gasping in shock. His wide eyes found Vince's. As Russell was standing in the doorway the large piece of shrapnel from the explosive had impaled his chest. Vince felt his whole world fail... Shel... now Russell... no. Russell seemed to stand there with that shard sticking right through him, for a torturing geological age.

Russell finally seemed to fall to the floor, a look of shock evident in his wide black eyes, as Vince suddenly rushed forward and held the dying boy in his arms.

"No... Russ" Vince was sobbing openly now, as his tears fell onto the dying form of Russell.

"I... should have never... have... joined... this rebellion..." Russell choked, as blood poured from his mouth, and tears fell freely from his cheeks as well. He was scared and he was in agony. As his smaller hand seemed to stop the circulation in Vince's larger one. But Vince didn't try to pry him off, instead he squeezed Russell's hand tighter.

"Don't say that Russ... c'mon. You'll be fine. There's still a lot more we need to do... you can tell me more about crazy Nate. You never got around telling me all the details. and what about...?"

"Vince" Stephanie croaked.

Vince looked down, Russell was dead. His eyes were wide and open and his corpse laid slack in Vince's arms. Vince wasn't even aware of when he died, or how it had happened so suddenly. But now, Russell's grip on his hand was gone.

Shel, Russell. Both were dead.

Vince was their leader. He had failed them.

"But... this wasn't meant to be him! It was meant to be me! IT WAS MEANT TO BE ME!" Vince roared collapsing, weeping his heart out into Russell's chest. He had saved Russell's life moments before he was fatally hit. That should have saved him. Why was Russell dead? It had happened so fast, it hadn't processed with Vince yet.

He broke down completely, roaring in inhuman grief. Wyatt couldn't stop from patching up Eddie, but tears now slid down his freckled cheeks as well, as he tried to wipe them away.

A gunshot could be heard from the armoury, Stephanie had to make sure Russell didn't come back. She had done Shel this favour and now Russell.

Vince looked up. Stephanie stared at him, blood drenched and broken. He was also broken, as he slowly placed Russell's now truly dead corpse on the ground. Eddie was still probably going to die. Wyatt was crying openly. Mike sat in the corner more fearful now ever, as he rocked backwards and forwards with increasing speed. After seeing Russell dead on the ground... he could hardly breathe.

_To Vince it was already over._

His next, wordless, grief stricken scream, could be heard all around the store.


	46. Reunited

**A/N- Okay, on with discussions.**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- I appericate your honest critique and I can see where your coming from, but don't worry, that guy won't lay a finger on Clementine (I know this a spoiler, but you'll find this out in the first couple of sentences in the chapter anyhow). However I'm glad you're passionate about the story and your advice and reviews have helped me write this, so like hell if I'm going to resort to some the sickest "Click" and "Cluke" fanfictions. **

**apathy- Thanks for your review,Oh don't worry someone will come and finish that guy off (I had it planned before he could even... well you know) either way I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and your theories on why Carver wanted to see Clementine.**

**Retroapple- Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I agree with you on the Nick/Clem story. Those thoughts matched my own when I saw it. Either way I hope this story continues to do the game justice, and I hope you enjoy!**

**Leggomypeggo- Well, I can't stop the rebellion, through a lot is happening right now. Anyway I hope you'll enjoy the future chapters.**

**K. Lynn Perks- Crazy shit indeed, anyway thanks for you review!**

**Lockdown- Clem will get away, I wouldn't resort to "that" but I'm glad for your review and the fact the deaths are well done and emotive. **

**and finally FunFX2012 and Maximo, thanks for your reviews!**

* * *

"NO!" Clementine roared, struggling in the man's grip, as he tried harder to pin her down.

"STAY STILL, YOU LITTLE BITC...!" The man roared, but he stopped mid sentence, when Clementine looked up to see why, she could see a knife was protruding from his neck, as his arms became shaky and he fell to the ground, as Clementine rolled out of the way.

Clementine crouched up, to see the man frothing at the mouth, as endless pints of blood poured from his neck, as he twitched and shook. Looking up she could see her saviour pull the bloody knife from his neck. She couldn't tell who her saviours were, they were coated in blood and Clementine couldn't make out their faces in the darkness.

"YOU SICK FUCK!" The man bellowed, his voice sounded familiar... but Clementine couldn't put a finger on it, instead she looked up, to see the first walkers making it over the trench.

"We have to get back inside!" She yelled in fear to her saviour, she sprinted off towards the loose plank in the barricade. She heard the two people behind follow her, reaching the small plank, she moved it and squeezed herself through. Standing up, she watched as a tall man and another girl crawl through the small space. as they all panted like thirsty dogs for a minute or two.

"Was he attacking you? I didn't fuck up again, did I?" The man asked Clementine rapidly. Now Clementine could get a better look at him, he had short wild black hair, wide blue eyes, and was covered head to foot in zombie guts, he was draped in a thick dark blue coat. The girl behind him was wearing a green hoodie, drenched a darker shade due to the walker guts that soaked through it. Her hair was tied back into a neat ponytail and she was wearing square rimmed glasses.

"Yeah, he was and what do you mean again? I don't know you" Clementine told him, as the man's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Oh come on, you give up hope on us that easily?" the man asked lightly, Clementine gazed at him harder and suddenly it clicked. With his southern accent and blue eyes...

"Nick" she breathed in disbelief, as she turned to girl and suddenly saw...

"Sarah" she gasped.

"Hi" Sarah replied, giving a short wave and smiling shyly at her younger friend.

She could barely believe it, they were alive! Nick and Sarah were alive! She should have screamed in joy, but she was too shocked to speak. It wasn't just the fact they looked completely different. It was the fact they were completely unrecognisable. It wasn't just their physical appearances that had changed, they carried themselves differently as well. Whereas their body language was more closed before, now it seemed a lot more open, as they brought an aura of easy confidence with them.

She didn't express her joy in words, instead she simply pulled the pair into a quick hug, savouring the short moment, she broke apart from them, as Nick asked "Clem, what's going on?"

"Were rebelling against Carver, we agreed to rebel tonight, and you two just chose the right moment to show up" she quickly summarised, as Nick nodded to show he understood, as a nearby explosion shook the pen.

"You got any weapons?" she quickly asked the pair of them, as Nick presented her with a glass shard and the kitchen knife he had used to kill the man attacking Clementine. Sarah also pulled out a small pistol from her pocket.

"It only has one bullet" she told Clementine soberly.

"Anything else?" Clementine asked hopefully, as Sarah gestured at a bag she was carrying.

"We gotta a load of meds in here and other stuff we got from the cabin"

Upon hearing the word "cabin" Clementine felt it was time to ask these two a few questions.

"What about you two? Where have you been? What happened to you?" she was hungry for the answers, as Nick grinned.

"All over, back to the cabin, in the river, to the civil war site, in a trailer park... fuck... it's a long story" he mused.

"Same here" Clementine replied, as she readied herself to get back into the brawl.

"Stay in cover and follow me, the others are going to be surprised to see you" she told them, despite the grim situation, she was grinning like an idiot. These two arriving back, alive and well, came completely out of the blue. But it was a surprise that she was welcoming, with open arms.

As she proceeded back towards the shutter Nick suddenly gasped, as if he remembered something and asked "Clementine! Do you know a woman called Li...?" but his question died in his throat when he saw two smoking figures, dart into the pen.

"CLEMENTINE, THERE YOU ARE!" Luke bellowed, he seemed to skid to the floor, as Jane trailed him. As he crouched on the floor, to make eye contact with Clementine, as he planted her all too familiar cap on her head, as (Clementine noticed) his hands were shaking violently, as he dropped her two pistols back into her hands.

"I'm glad you're safe, we were worried out of our minds..." He was speaking at a million miles an hour, his words a panicked jumble. As he grasped at her shoulders and wiped down her clothes.

"You're safe, aren't you? No one hurt you?" Luke said inspecting her form, as Clementine smiled, Luke and Jane hadn't seemed to have noticed Nick and Sarah standing right by her, finally Nick coughed which caught Luke's attention. He looked up at Nick in alarm and quickly pushed Clementine behind him.

"Who are you two!?" he demanded from them in a panic, Nick simply smiled back at Sarah before he turned back to Luke.

"Forget me that easily? I came back Luke, just like you asked me too" Nick said to him. Their eyes locked, as Luke finally seemed to stutter in disbelief, as he stumbled backwards a few steps and stuttered "N... Nick!"

"Hey Luke" Nick replied, rather shyly.

He didn't get any further, Luke jumped on him and hugged him so hard that they both fell to the floor, laughing openly.

"Fucker! You scared the shit out of me man!" Luke laughed, as he clasped Nick's back. Nick rose to his feet, as Luke spotted a beaming Sarah nearby.

"Sarah as well! How did you two survive!?" Luke asked in amazed wonder, as Nick smiled modestly once again.

"Well... a lot of luck and that zombie guts method worked wonders, so thanks Jane" Nick spoke to the shorter haired woman, as Jane nodded casually, as she inspected the pair of them "Well hand them any guns you can spare Luke, we need to get back to business. You two chose a shitty time to come back" She informed a still smiling Nick and Sarah, she doubted they would smiling soon.

"It's great to be back" Nick told Luke happily, as Clementine handed him one of her pistols. Other than that, they had no fully loaded guns to give to Sarah "I taught Sarah to shoot, you should have seen her..." Nick began to proudly tell Luke, as they ran back into the fray, their guns at the ready.

"Hey, you glad to see me?" Sarah asked Clementine, as they crept towards the shutter.

"Yes, I'm glad you're okay Sarah" Clementine told her honestly, as Sarah beamed back at her. Clementine had to keep blinking to ensure that it was her, she looked so much different. She even had a stitched up gash on her cheek. That Clementine kept staring at... unable to believe Sarah was smiling at her through this wound, when the Sarah she previously knew, cried for hours of a slap her father had given her.

"I told you I'd keep to my pinkie promise!" Sarah piped up happily, as Clementine approached the shutter, if it wasn't for Sarah babbling along innocently behind her, she would have panicked slightly. But her calming words, calmed her down too (although she knew this was because Sarah wasn't aware of how bad, and out of control, this gunfight really was).

"Yep and you look like you have some stories to tell me" Clementine muttered, now gazing back at a radically different Sarah.

"Yeah!" Sarah agreed, before another burst of gunfire shut them both up, as Sarah (now starting to grasp the situation slowly) looked at the shutter in increasing fear. "So... you're rebelling against Carver? Are you gonna take this place over?"

Clementine nodded slowly, as she peered into the store and turned back to Sarah "Okay, follow me and keep your head down" she instructed, as Sarah rapidly nodded her head to show that she agreed and would obey.

"Okay... GO!" Clementine roared, as she and Sarah ran through the chaos and behind a nearby shelf, where Nick, Luke and Jane were waiting for them.

"...and then Rebecca gave birth and Eddie and Wyatt..." Luke was rapidly explaining to Nick, who was absorbing this information like a sponge. As Jane fired into the shelves above, before aiming at the guards were now on ground level and also hiding behind the cover of shelves. Several corpses were laying on the ground and as for some of those that had bled out... they were slowly starting to come back. But were soon torn to pieces by the bullets that tore through the warm air of the store.

"This is scary" Sarah stuttered, as she looked up at the celling, her eyes rolling all over the place.

"I know" Clementine said, as she prepared to fire on with Jane.

"I've only got one bullet, I wish I could use it Carver..." she muttered, as she gazed down at her seemingly useless pistol in sadness.

"Carver's in his office. Rebecca said she'd take care of him" Clementine informed, a restless Sarah, as a round of bullets pounded against the shelf they were behind, causing Jane to dive back into cover.

"Then, my bullet can help! I can help! His office windows overlook the whole store!" Sarah mused, now excited, as she suddenly sprinted out from behind cover before Clementine could stop her.

"SARAH!" Clementine roared, rushing after her, but she feared it may have been too late.

Sarah, rushed from behind the shelf that was blocking her way and aimed upwards at Carver's office, his large glass windows were still intact and Sarah could see the top of his head.

"WATCH THIS!" She shouted, as she aimed her pistol through the muzzle and pulled the trigger, her single bullet flew through the air and hit the largest glass window, causing it to shatter violently, as shards of glass rained onto the black and white floor, Sarah didn't see what had happened to Carver, but all she saw heard were a dozen hostile yells. As a dozen bullets suddenly changed their course and aimed directly at her, a small explosive rolled it's way towards her that she didn't notice. But Clementine felt her gut sink, as (in slow motion) she saw the thing roll right up to Sarah's feet.

"NO!" She screamed, she couldn't lose Sarah after they had just been reunited.

But she wouldn't reach Sarah on time, thankfully Jane did. The short haired woman leapt out from behind the shelf, and literally dragged Sarah (by the neck) back into cover, Sarah rolled over to Clementine, as Jane covered her head as the explosive went off, causing everyone's ears to ring and the heat of the explosion scorched a few areas of exposed skin and scorched a few strands of clothes and hair.

"EVERYONE ALRIGHT!?" Jane roared, wiping her own blood from her face, as she gazed back at everyone.

Rubbing a scorch on her elbow, Clementine looked down at a shaken Sarah at her feet, who looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Don't... do that again Sarah" was all Clementine could pant in shock. If it wasn't for Jane's quick thinking, bits of Sarah's fried flesh would now be landing right beside her. Yet here she was in one piece, still hurt but alive.

Sarah didn't speak, as she simply trembled, as Nick and Luke inspected the scene "Fuck Sarah, that was so fucking stupid, don't do that again!" Nick yelled at her in a scalding manner, as Sarah quietly mumbled "S-s-sorry" to the crumpled rug on the ground.

Sensing that his words may have hurt her, Nick's patted her back slightly but helping her back to her feet, as he asked more kindly "But... did you hit Carver?"

"I smashed his window, I didn't see if I hit him or not" Sarah told him clearly.

"Well, you have to thank Jane here for saving your ass and maybe your lucky bullet, came to some good after all" Luke told her softly, as Sarah turned to Jane and breathed "Thank you" as she tried to stop herself from shaking.

"No problem kid" was Jane's (cool as a cucumber) reply. As she braced herself for more explosives to roll their way, from the fucker hiding behind the shelf to their left. He peeked his head out, but before he could fire, Jane managed to get lucky and aim a quick bullet through his brain. He slumped to the floor as Jane yelled in triumph "Gotcha!"

"Nice one" Luke complimented, before a shrill scream cut them off. A scream from nearby and a scream they all recognised.

_"KENNY!"_ Came Sarita's anguished screech.

There was no time to waste, with that man out of the way from behind the other shelf. Clementine followed a startled Luke, as the five of them sprinted onto the scene.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

One of the reanimated guards had grabbed Sarita by the arm and was now digging his teeth into her wrist, as she screamed, and tried (through her tear filled eyes) to reach for her gun on the ground. Judging by (at least) 5 guards lying dead around her, she must have abandoned her earlier morales and shot them for Kenny's sake. And thinking about Kenny, Clementine suddenly realised why Sarita was trying to reach for her gun...

Because Troy was standing over Kenny. Using a crowbar to beat his head in.

"FUCKING DIE! YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! YOU...!" Troy was bellowing, as he aimed another hit at Kenny's head.

It was a living nightmare for Clementine, she could only stand there in shock. Sarita being bitten... Kenny being beaten... around his eye. History was repeating itself and she was too shocked to stop it.

Thankfully Luke and Jane weren't. Luke grabbed his favourite machete and charged forward, instantly cutting through Sarita's arm, as she looked up at him in horror. He didn't stop as he hacked down on her arm again and she was freed from the walker guard. She looked at her bleeding stump in shock, just before she let out (her near identical) blood curdling scream she had done the first time. Jane fired a bullet...

* * *

"Well, well Rebecca where to begin" Carver said causally, as he strolled around his office, as if the rebellion wasn't happening right outside.

"Rebecca, I loved you. I trusted you. But baby... just tell me why you'd do something like this? Why'd you work against me?" Carver asked in his horrible honeyed tone. He was furious and trying hard to cover it. Rebecca simply had to try and not provoke him, but she knew that acting too innocent would only enrage him further, so she opted for an obvious answer...

"Why? Why Bill!? After all you did to Alvin and my friends, you have the nerve to ask me why!?" Rebecca snapped.

"Can I kill her now?" Tavia asked, almost bored by the proceedings.

"In a minute Tavia" Carver growled, as he continued to pace around the office, before he stopped and turned to Rebecca "I don't want any more bullshit excuses Rebecca, I don't want any of this... you did this to Alvin, or you hurt my friends crap. What happened between us?" he inquired, his mean green eyes digging into her soul as she looked up at him again.

"I loved you at one point" she finally admitted "I loved you so much, that even when I first started showing signs of being pregnant. I was almost happy it was your's"

"Almost?" Carver growled.

"You changed Bill, you changed for the worse and I was stupid. I was so stupid, I cheated on Alvin with you. I still can't believe that. But whatever charm you had Bill. It's gone. You're nothing but a sad, pathetic, mass murder!" Rebecca snapped, the last three words spat at him in complete distaste.

A muscle in Carver's jaw twitched, his seemed unable to speak for a quite a while, as Rebecca waited nervously in silence. The only sounds that filled the office were the faint cries of her son. Carver finally seemed to regain his voice, after this long silence.

"Very well" he began in a concluding note, as Rebecca got ready to clamp her eyes shut. This was it. This was her death alright.

"It was..." Carver began.

BANG!

Without any warning what so ever, the window right in front of them shattered into a thousand pieces, Carver and Tavia were distracted for mere seconds, but this was all Rebecca needed. She sprung up quickly, outright punching a stunned Tavia in the face, before grabbing Bill by the neck and placing her hatchet inches from her flesh.

"DON'T MOVE!" Tavia roared, aiming her gun at Rebecca. But Rebecca used Carver as a meat shield, as she placed his body in front of her's "Don't move. Or I'll silt his throat" Rebecca warned Tavia darkly. Tavia seemed to pace slightly to the left, as Rebecca glared after the other woman "Don't move" she warned the pair of them again, as Carver sighed and muttered "How did we come to this...?"

Rebecca body was tense, as she held onto Carver's neck tighter, sweat trickled from her forehead, the sharp metal inches from Carver's jugular vein. As he remained still, however Rebecca eye's widened in horror. When Tavia slowly pointed the butt of her rifle down at where little Alvin lay crying.

"Release Bill, or I'll shoot" Tavia said flatly, with the eyes of the devil. Rebecca didn't move. She didn't seem to breathe. Tavia's finger was on the trigger.

She was going to shoot Alvin Junior. Tavia was going to kill her son.

Rebecca snapped, an uncontrollable anger spreading throughout her whole body, which she knew she couldn't control.

"Don't..." she growled

Tavia didn't even flinch.

"Hurt..." she continued in the same deadly tone.

Tavia thought this was a bluff. She simply smiled, as her finger began to press down on the trigger.

"MY SON!" Rebecca roared with the force of a lion. She didn't know what she did in those next couple of seconds, but she slapped/punched Carver around the cheek. Rebecca must have hit him much harder than she thought. Because he sprawled to the floor in seconds, with Carver out of her grip, she sprinted towards Tavia with the force of a hurricane.

Tavia quickly aimed her gun upwards, to little to late, a shot went off that missed by of them. But only narrowly missed a squealing Alvin. Rebecca got hold of the gun and threw it too the floor. Tavia tried to kick her, but in those moments, Rebecca was too powerful for her. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she grabbed a fistful of Tavia's thick, afro styled hair.

"YOU'LL NEVER HURT MY SON AGAIN!" Rebecca roared, she used all of her force to bash Tavia's face against the sharp edge of Carver's desk. At first Tavia simply suffered a bleeding nose and was able to resist against the force of Rebecca pulling her down.

But Rebecca was on a murderous rampage. Plain and simple.

Tavia strength zapped away, as Rebecca bashed her face against the edge of the desk, again and again and again. Until Tavia's arms went limp, until it was like Rebecca was banging a rag doll against the edge of the desk. When fatigue overcome her, Rebecca finally released a clearly dead Tavia. As the chubby woman fell to the floor for the last time, her brains mashed all over the desk, blood was everywhere. As her loose eyeball rolled away from her body.

Rebecca gazed on and what she had done. She was capable of that? She did that!?

If that had been anyone else, Rebecca would have gone mad with guilt. But this was a woman who had threatened (and would) kill an innocent baby. Rebecca store down at Tavia's body feeling empty. Feeling no remorse, but no joy either. She simply had done what she had too.

The only reason this felt unreal, was because of the amount of damage she had done.

She regained her breath and quickly picked up Tavia's gun in her one hand and picked up her still squeezing son, in her other arm.

"Sssh... it's okay. Mummy's here" Rebecca cooed to Alvin, as she rocked him gently, yet in other hand, she trained her gun on her son's biological father.

It was, truly time to end this.


	47. Heartbroken?

**A/N- Okay, on we go.**

**apathy- Liking your ideas and I forgot about the PA system, but I'll make sure to use that during this chapter. Thanks for your reviews!**

**FunFX2012- Yep, I imagine if Rebecca could stay there and watch Carver get beaten to death she was capable of a lot more.**

**Maximo- Thanks for your review!**

**Eggomypeggo- no problem and I looked at the fanfic you mentioned and just... eurgh. I can see why you're relived to find no rape or paedophilia in this one.**

**Lockdown- Cheers for another review! **

**Martial Arts Master- I'm glad you pointed that out and I'll be sure to clarify it during this chapter. I like to imagine that Rebecca did love him at some point, but soon when he started changing, she began to detest him. **

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for another awesome review and as for that suggestion at the end... It sounds good. Judging by the unexpected success of this fic, I am reconsidering not writing a sequel. But I'm not sure yet, I'm off to Uni in a few weeks so I'll barely get any free time then. But writing some one shot's which may gap this story to my sequel (if I ever come round to writing one) seems like a great idea!**

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Happy birthday for yesterday! Glad I was able to give you some sort of birthday present with Nick and Sarah's return and Tavia dying (that sounded sadistic didn't it?) either way I'm glad you're still enjoying the story and I can't wait for the next chapter of Bad Things Will Always Happen. **

**Emily Carver- Thanks for another review! and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

**And finally thanks to my long term reviewer Rebloxic. You've stuck with this story from the start, so I appericate all of your reviews.**

* * *

Jane fired her gun, and it hit Troy in the groin. Troy's expression of utter rage transformed too that of agony in seconds, as he bent double his two hands clasping around his bleeding crotch.

"AAHHHH!" He screamed, as he finally fell to the floor, curled into himself.

"Y-You shot my dick off!" He squealed, to the high heavens above. Jane retained her pokerface, as she gazed coldly at him.

"You have absolutely no idea how much I wanted to do that" Jane muttered to a frozen Nick, as Luke gripped at squealing Sarita in his arms, as he tried to cover her bleeding stump with something, all she could scream was "GET TO KENNY! GET TO KENNY!"

Clementine heeded these words of advice, she ran forward, stopping by where Troy was squeaking in agony on the floor, his eyes clenched shut in agony. A puddle of blood expanding around his crippled form. He was still screeching, and these pained howls only hurt Clementine's ears even more. She quickly pulled out her gun and aimed down at Troy's head.

Well, she promised she was going to hurt him. But for now this seemed more like a mercy kill than anything else.

She fired, the bang echoed around the store, as Troy laid cold and still. The fact that Clementine no longer had to endure his grating voice was a relief to her. Then again that bullet symbolised relief for both of them, as Troy was no longer in agony and neither was Clementine.

With that sorted, she skidded down to the ground to check on Kenny. Blood coated the entire right side of his face and his right eye was unrecognisable mess of flesh. "Kenny" she called to him urgently, shaking him slightly. There was no response, his wound had been near identical to the beating Carver had given him the first time around. There was no doubt that "his orbital was crushed" as Carlos had phrased it. So his eye would once again would be ruined. Yet, he had lived through this maiming the first time. No doubt he would pull through it again.

Yet, there was no Carlos around to patch it up this time.

And all of their meds were currently going up in flames.

These two thoughts, made Clementine panic as she whipper her around wildly, Looking for some form of shelter where she could patch up Kenny. (With whatever scarps of meds they had left) only one doorway stood out for her.

"WE HAVE TO GET THEM BACK TO THE ARMOURY!" She yelled, as a round of gunfire, tore the ground to bits, close to her feet. She tried to lift an unconscious Kenny, but he was simply to heavy for her, thankfully Nick and Jane quickly helped support him. Clementine shot upwards towards any remaining threats as Nick and Jane dragged Kenny towards the armoury door, with Luke grasping onto a still struggling Sarita in his grip.

Time seemed to slow down, but eventually Nick, Sarah, Kenny, Sarita, Luke, Jane and Clementine all rushed inside the armoury. Clementine took a quick look around and saw Wyatt still working on Eddie. Thankfully Eddie looked a more colourful shade, so it looked as if he was going to pull through. But what startled Clementine was the form of Vince bent over the clearly dead form of...

"RUSSELL!" Luke yelled in surprised alarm, as a sobbing Vince looked at them with watery black eyes.

"Fuck..." Jane swore.

"Holy shit! Are they okay!?" A worse for wear Stephanie exclaimed, dried tears left their tracks on her blackened face, and she was still drenched in Stan's blood, which was beginning to dry and stink. Upon seeing Sarita without an arm and Kenny's bloodied face, it was little to no wonder she exclaimed this in concern for them.

"Sarita got bit. I had to hack off the arm and half of Kenny's face has been bashed in" Luke told her in a rush, as he gently set Sarita on the ground, as she withered in agony, her stump of an arm was still bleeding.

"Holy shit! Were out of meds! How are we meant to patch up that!?" Wyatt asked in shocked disbelief, turning to face them.

"Actually... we have meds!" Sarah exclaimed, suddenly remembering the bin bag in her hand.

If there had ever been a moment of more widespread relief. Clementine didn't know it, because when Sarah opened the bag and pulled out a dozen white bottles along with many other meds (including a few bandages) the collective sigh of relief that came from everyone's lips. Must have sucked out all the air from the store.

"You're two are both lifesavers!" Luke yelled happily, pulling Nick into another hug, as Nick only smiled sheepishly. Wyatt was already approaching a still struggling Sarita, as Stephanie's eyes widened when she recognised Nick and Sarah.

"Nick? Sarah? Is that you!?" she asked in utter disbelief as Nick beamed back at her.

"We chose a bad time didn't we?" Nick asked her in joking manner, as Stephanie smiled lightly.

"It's... great to see you guys again" she told the pair of them. Feeling the first ray of something happy since Shel had been so cruelly taken from her.

"I don't think we've got enough bandages here to patch up this!" Wyatt warned the group, as Sarah slowly used a poured some peroxide onto a cloth and began to dab around Kenny's eye. Clementine had to admire her, she seemed to be taking after her father in the way of the medical world.

Meanwhile Sarita managed to moan (through her clenched teeth) "Do.. anything... this... hurts... so...much..."

"She bleed out, if we don't do something!" Nick yelled.

"We could cauterise it"

Mike said it, Clementine was surprised as he seemed to just appear out of the darkness as if he suddenly appeared there. As for Mike himself, when he saw the state Sarita and Kenny were in, he knew he couldn't just sit around and cower. He had to be of some assistance, as some sort of adrenaline rush made his head feel heavy as he finally stood up and galloped over to the the two wounded pen dwellers.

"Cauterise?" Sarah asked him blankly, Mike acknowledged her with a nod.

"It means we burn the flesh, so it blisters and seals the wound. Hence the bleeding stops" Mike told them, as he produced a small lighter from his pocket (he always kept one on him, until Carver and co, took it away. Now he had been reunited with it in this armoury).

"That would hurt though" Luke told him, as Sarita whimpered pitifully.

"It would hurt like hell. But it would save her life" Mike reasoned, as Luke nodded and turned slowly to Sartia, he held her tightly, as she began to struggle and shake her head.

"NO!... NO!" She screehed, as she tried wriggle free, as Mike approached her with lighter.

"I am sorry Sarita, but this has to be done" Mike said grimly as he placed the lighter next to her stump.

Sarita let out an ear piercing scream, as she struggled wildly, thankfully though Luke must have been fairly strong, as he managed to keep her held down, as Jane focused on pinning her legs to the ground, as more tears fell from her eyes at the painful treatment, as the sickly scent of burnt flesh wafted to Clementine's nose.

"Ew... gross" Sarah commented. Clementine couldn't tell whether it was over Kenny wound, or the smell. Or both.

Eventually Clementine saw the bleeding slowly stop, as the stump became covered in painful looking blisters, Sarita had passed out during this painful sort of surgery, her head drooped onto Luke's chest. When he was certain that the bleeding had stopped, Mike moved the lighter away from her stump and wiped a layer of sweat from his forehead.

"Okay Wyatt, looks like she won't bleed out now" Mike commented as Wyatt began to work on the blistered stump. With Sarita passed out (and more pale looking than ever) Clementine couldn't help but feel concerned for her, as she asked Wyatt "Will she be okay?"

"She's lost a lot of blood. But I reckon she'll live" was the verdict which had Clementine convinced, with Sarita sorted, everyone turned back to Kenny.

Sarah had successfully cleaned the wound, now revealing a gaping gory hole on where his right eye had once been.

"Shit" was Mike's deadpan response to the wound.

Shit indeed.

"I cleaned it so it won't get infected and I think it's stopped bleeding" Sarah timidly told the group, holding the bloodied cloth she had used on him, to her chest.

"Well just have to bandage it and pray for the best. His still breathing so he live, but we don't know how badly his been affected, or if there's any brain damage" Was Luke's verdict as he gazed upon the Floridian's horrific wound before muttering "Man... fuck Troy"

There was a short silence in the room after that, Kenny, Sarita and Eddie were all badly injured and out of it. Vince hadn't moved, he was still crouched over Russell's body. Yet this silence was cut as Bonnie flew into the room.

"Guys there's a...!" she begun before she paused dead in her tracks, she glanced around the room in shock.

"RUSSELL!" She screamed in grief, before she quickly turned to rest of them "Nick. Sarah" she babbled in shock, her dark blue eyes were wide open as she tried to absorb everything she had seen. Yet again Clementine had to admire Bonnie's observant trait, as she had realised who Nick and Sarah were in a heartbeat whereas everyone else who had seen them so far had not recognised them instantly.

"What's up?" Mike asked, as Bonnie snapped out of her shocked stupor, and continued with her point.

"Right... um... oh yeah! There's a fire blazin' down by the pen! If we don't put it out, they'll be nothing left to take over!" Bonnie yelled, Clementine remembered the blaze had started in the room full of the meds. It appeared that they had a new problem.

"That's my jam then" Mike said standing up tall, as he eyed the distant orange tongues of the growing fire. "I was a fireman before all this, so I know how to deal with this" he told the group at large, as Bonnie nodded.

"Okay, we gotta hurry though, that blaze is outta control!" Bonnie urged of him, as he nodded and muttered "Okay".

"You're gonna need cover, I'll come with you" Luke offered as he stood up.

"I'll tag along too" Jane piped up, as Mike and Bonnie nodded.

"I'm coming as well" Clementine began to offer, before Luke shot her down.

"Nah, Clem you stay here and keep an eye on Kenny. I don't want you in any more danger" Luke told her sternly, Clementine glared back at him, but eventually realised that this was for the best. She was fairly weary and although she felt bad about missing out on this. She was certain these four grown up's could handle the situation.

"Okay" she finally drawled sadly. Feeling like a 6 year old, who had just discovered that Christmas was postponed.

"Right then, let's go!" Luke yelled, as he, Jane, Bonnie and Mike flew out of the door. As Clementine leant next to a still unconscious Kenny.

_"Please be lucky"_ she prayed, to him and the others.

* * *

"JESUS!"

Bonnie leapt back, as a tendril of orange flame nearly burnt her to crisps, Mike was quickly on it, he used the damp cloths he had given himself and Bonnie, to fan out the expanding flames. He was completely drenched in sweat, as he tackled the scorching blaze and too make it worse he didn't have any of his previous protective gear or uniform.

Yet, this was his speciality, taking out fire's and he be dammed if he was going to let this fire engulf this store. This was his challenge, his test to prove his worth to this group. There wasn't any way in hell his was going to fail this.

He was a man who preferred actions to words, so as he fanned down the flames with all his force, slowly pushing the fire back, as Bonnie watched in awe behind him at how fast and fiercely he tackled the fire. Using his one arm to cover his face, while he ventured into forward into the midst of the fire. Determined to beat it. By watching him Bonnie was inspired, she gritted her teeth, and held onto the large cloth in her hands much tighter as she ploughed into the destructive flames.

Behind the pair of them, Jane and Luke stood side by side. Their eyes trained on the seemingly empty main area of the hardware store. Several bodies, whose brains had been destroyed, lay still. Only the roar of the fire behind them, and Bonnie and Mike's panting could be heard.

"I think... were gonna win this!" he exclaimed to a smiling Jane. Jane thought about it, maybe they really had won...

A movement behind a shelf caught their eyes, "HEY!" Jane bellowed, as the stranger emerged. The woman dropped her main rifle to the floor, as she shook from head to foot.

"Please! I surrender!" she pleaded. Jane recognised her as one of Carver's guards. One of the guards who was very loyal to Carver.

Luke's gun lowered slightly, as the woman approached, however Jane bellowed "GET BACK!" as the woman froze on the spot.

"What are you doing Jane!? She surrendered! It's okay you can come forward!" Luke encouraged her, as the woman smiled and proceeded forwards a few steps.

"We have to shoot her Luke! This is too much of a damn risk!" Jane told him heatedly as Luke shook his head.

"No, we can't kill innocents Jane!" he yelled back to her, as the woman came within reaching distance of the pair of them. "Thank you, you're very kind" the woman said softly causing Luke to smile like an idiot at her.

"It's alright, I know you've done bad. But were not like Carver. We'll forgive you and..." Luke began to muse to the woman, but Jane saw the dangerous glint in the woman's eyes, as her hand quickly dived towards her belt, as Luke spoke on.

"GET DOWN!" Jane yelled instantly, as she shoved Luke to the ground, and threw herself over him to protect him. A gunshot fired. As the woman smiled wickedly, before she was shot clean through the forehead, before she even knew what hit her. The woman fell to the floor as dead as a dodo. As Bonnie quickly ran over to the pair.

"Are you okay?" she asked a white faced Luke in alarm, She had heard the commotion behind her and had quickly moved in too help. As Mike continued to tackle the fire behind them.

"Fine" Luke panted, as he brushed himself down. He turned to Jane.

She stood as still as a statue, a red hole growing on her chest, as Luke's whole world seemed to fail.

She looked over at Luke, they gazed at each for what must have been two seconds at the most, but to Luke it felt like an agonising decade was passing, as him and Jane's lives together flashed before his eyes.

She fell, Luke swept over instantly as he caught her crumpled form in his arms.

"Jane..." he panted, the tears already falling, as he gazed wildly around. He found Bonnie's form.

"BONNIE! GO GET HELP!" He screamed at her, but Bonnie could only look on sadly, Jane's eyes were already half closed. That shot had been fatal.

"FUCK! GO GET HELP BONNIE! DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Luke screamed, as Bonnie could only stare in disbelief in shock. A new wave of sadness overcoming her form, as she felt the tears sting at her eyes.

A pale, shaking hand brushed across Luke's cheek, causing him to look down at Jane.

"Hey Luke" she croaked sadly, a small smile on her face as he world dimmed to blackness.

"Jane..." Luke sobbed, treasuring every moment that he could gaze into her bronze eyes. Treasuring every moment she continued to breathe, but those moments slipped through his fingers too fast. As Jane gave one very pronounced last gasp, before she went still.

"Jane..." Luke repeated shaking her slightly, there was no reply from her. Her mouth hung open limply, as her eyes were solidly closed.

"Jane...!" Luke pleaded for the third time, shaking her harder, yet it was like shaking a lifeless body bag. Which she know was. It was over for him.

"No... No... NO! JAAAAAAANNE!" He screamed, as he hugged her body with all of his might, cuddling her corpse, as if she were a teddy bear he needed for comfort. He cried and weeped and sobbed, he continued to cry, even when a hesitant Bonnie put a bullet through Jane's pale forehead.

It was all his fault.

Jane was right, he should never had trusted that woman and now, thanks to his stupid mistake. Jane was dead. The amount of self loathing he had for himself, quickly turned to anger... he wanted too... just rip himself to shreds! To tear himself apart! Jane's death and the manner of it happening had filled Luke with a guilt he knew would be present for the rest of his life.

* * *

"You gonna finish me off sweetheart?" Carver asked of Rebecca lightly, from where he was sprawled on the floor. Unable to move, as Rebecca had shot his kneecaps a mere moments ago. He somehow managed to ask this question through his clenched teeth, as his knees bleed in agony.

"Not yet, I want to know something Bill" she snarled, juggling Alvin in one hand and the gun in her other.

"What?" he spat, letting his hatred of her show.

"Why?"

He knew what she was asking, as he snarled up to her...

"Why? I had too Rebecca! I was the only one with any balls here to make the hard decisions! I did this all for you and the baby! And this is how you repay me!?"

Rebecca looked down at him disgusted.

"So, killing Reggie, Becca and those rebels was for the baby!? For me!?" Rebecca screamed, as Carver continued to glare at her.

"They were threats" he spat.

"They were innocent Bill! If you really cared about the baby and me, you wouldn't have killed that many people, or fucked Tavia! You're not Alvin's father!" she told him, with a concluding note in her tone.

"Oh but I am, you can't deny that" Carver hissed back.

"The Bill I knew, maybe you could have been his father. Before all the fucking and the deals I made, you used to be so sweet Bill, those talks we used to have. That's when I fell in love with you. When you got me pregnant, that wasn't love. That was part of a deal!" Rebecca explained as Bill looked up at her once again.

"You... actually felt something back then?" he asked, as Rebecca nodded.

"And did you?" she asked back.

"Of course, I did baby. You're were so strong, you still are" he complimented her, Rebecca was silent. As she prepared to speak into the PA.

_"Look after him..."_ William Carver uttered this so quietly and in such a sad mumble, that for a second Rebecca couldn't believe the cold hearted leader had actually said it. Yet when she looked down at him, his eyes were locked on the bundle that was Alvin Junior.

"I will" was all she said.

With that done, with she leaned into the PA, switching it on, she spoke through the microphone, just as she had done in the old days.

"Everyone, the rebellion is over. Come up to the office. It's time to finish this" she informed everyone in the store, as several heads looked up. Rebecca switched off the PA after he announcement, as Carver gazed up at her.

"Aren't you going to finish me off?" he asked, his tone neutral.

_"You're not worth my effort any more Bill"_ were the last words she said to him. Before she picked up her gun and held Alvin Junior, tighter as she turned her back to him.

* * *

Luke heard the announcement, he looked up at Carver's office as he slowly placed Jane's body onto the ruined ground next to him.

His eyes were burning, his vision was red.

Mere feet away, everyone (other than the unconscious trio) heard Rebecca's announcement.

"We've done it" Clementine said in disbelief, the rebellion had succeeded. yet in her head she also thought _"I've done it"_ her second chance had succeeded, there may have been casualties, but the majority of her friends were alive.

She stood up, as Nick began to lead the way to Carver's office, they were all ready to finish this once and for all, but as Clementine stood up, a large hand suddenly clasped around her shoulder. Panicking she looked down, to see Kenny using her as support to lift himself to his feet.

"Well... what are you all staring at?" he asked the shocked group, who were gazing at him as if he had grown two heads.

There was a short silence, as everyone paused in their tracks, looking at Kenny in disbelief, Wyatt finally spoke up.

"That is fucking metal dude" was all Wyatt could say.

"Thanks" Kenny replied.

"Are you okay?" Clementine asked, as Kenny steadied himself on his own two feet.

"I'm fine Clem. Now let's finish this fucker off, once and for all!" he shouted with joy present in his tone. The remaining members of the group beamed back at him. After coming all this way, it was finally time to finish this.

_To kill William Carver. _


	48. Good Riddance

**A/N- Okay thanks guys for another round of great reviews!**

**apathy- I'm glad you pick on these things and rest assured this victory will mean something, as Riley from the last of us said ****_"we fight for every second we get to spend with each other, whether it's two minutes, or two days, we don't give that up" _**

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- I enjoyed the new chapter and thanks again for another review! **

**Rebloxic- If your wish is to see Carver dead, I have a strong feeling you will love this chapter.**

**leafs nation- Thanks, I'm glad you found the last chapter interesting!**

**FunFX2012- Don't forget to wave him off.**

**Guest T- Thanks! You might be right... or wrong.**

**Eggomypeggo- Considering he hunted down that baby with a passion, I imagine that beneath the evilness of Carver, he still does care about his son. **

**Lockdown- Checked the reviews, but yours wasn't there. Either way I'm just gonna leave that story. **

**Maximo- What Carver would do for a klondike bar? Probably the same stuff he'd do for his berries (or worse).**

* * *

"Go on! We'll deal with this!" Bonnie yelled to Luke, he didn't need telling this, he was already walking up to Carver's office with a permanent rage etched onto his face. Bonnie sighed and returned to dealing with the blaze...

Kenny quickly checked up on an unconscious Sarita, he kissed her forehead before he stood up again "You'll stay here and watch them?" he asked of Wyatt who was still crouched over Eddie.

"Relax, Marton Wyatt is on the job. You guys go deal with Bill" Wyatt reassured them, with this in mind, Clementine, Kenny, Stephanie, Nick and Sarah proceeded out of the armoury. Nick tried to convince Vince to come with them. But his words dried on his tongue, as Vince didn't even move or reply to him. With this in mind, the 5 of them made their way towards Carver's office.

Looking at the hardware store, Clementine could only see multiple bodies lying around, there was an eerie feel to the store, now that the guns and grenades had been silenced. Sticky blood slowly redecorated the tiled floor, in a deep, satin, red colour.

"Kinda creepy ain't it?" Kenny muttered to a still staring Clementine, she snapped out of her stupor when she heard this comment. But then she also saw the familiar form of...

"Luke!" she yelled to him happily, Luke was feet away from them, yet upon Clementine's comment he didn't look at her, instead he made a beeline for the stairs.

"Luke where's Jane?" Clementine asked, her gut slowly sinking as she observed that Jane wasn't joint with him at the hip (like she usually was). She also saw the dried tears on Luke's face as (once again) he didn't respond to her.

"Oh... shit" Nick said sadly. His azure eyes trailing after his best friend of 20 years as he disappeared up the stairwell to Carver's office.

"Let's make him pay. That's Shel, Russell and now Jane" Stephanie said darkly, Kenny sighed and led the other four towards Carver's office, hot on Luke's heels.

Clementine was too preoccupied thinking about Jane. How could Jane be dead? Jane was the sole survivor of events last time, how could Jane die? She felt like she had cheated Jane out of her life. If they had stuck to the original events than Jane would still be alive and the rest of them would be long dead.

She tried to sallow her guilt, as the grief bubbled it's way to surface. She had really grown to like Jane and even more so this time around.

She turned her grief to anger as they approached the door to Carver's office. He was in for it.

Rebecca watched as the door slid open, Luke walked in first, his steaming eyes trained to the floor, behind him, came Kenny with bandages wrapped tight around his right eye. Following him came a blood drenched Stephanie, the small form of Clementine and two other guards Rebecca didn't recognise.

"Evenin' folks" Carver called out causally from the floor, as if his life wasn't in mortal peril.

"Shut... your... fucking... mouth" was all Kenny could spit back, without tearing William Carver too shreds.

"Jesus! What happened to you!?" Rebecca began, alarmed at the scale of Kenny's injures as he shrugged her off.

"It's nothing, Troy just cut me a little..." he seemingly laughed, but Clementine could tell he was masterfully covering his agony at his eye injury.

"What about the others... are they...?" Rebecca asked with wide eyes.

"Bonnie, Mike, Wyatt, Sarita and Vince are fine. Russell, Shel and Jane aren't" Luke replied, in a sad mumble as he glared openly at Carver.

"What, is that all?" Carver asked, He certainly had nerve to say something like that to Luke. He bloated like a bullfrog and for a second Clementine thought he was going to charge at Carver. Instead he simply walked over to Carver's desk and began to mess with something... Carver tried to glance at him, but instead his eyes found Nick and Sarah who were standing by Clementine. His green eyes shone with familiarity, as he recognised them.

"So... you made it back Nicky boy" he spat at him, as Nick only glared silently back at him.

"Wait, Nick? Sarah!?" Rebecca chimed, gazing at the pair in disbelief.

"Yeah, we made it back" Nick finally replied, his voice betraying no emotions, his blue eyes however seemed to turn a more icy shade when he looked down upon Carver's form.

"So... did you get the supplies I asked for?" Carver groaned, his knees aching in agony, as spasms of pain shot up his legs.

"Yeah and I want to thank you Bill, in a strange way that trek outside the store, helped me and Sarah more than you could imagine" Nick told him, upon hearing this news, Carver's mouth twisted into a sick smile. "Good to know, you came back... improved..." he muttered through the small gap, between his rows of teeth.

"It still doesn't change the fact, you're a psychopathic asshole" Nick snarled down at him, as Carver remained silent at this remark. As he did, Rebecca embraced Nick and Sarah, "Thank God you're both okay" she murmured into Nick's shoulder, pulling the pair closer to them. When they broke apart Carver snarled "Alright, enough of the mushy shit. Are you gonna do this or what!?" he demanded of (the most dominant form) of Kenny.

"Oh don't worry, how could I forget?" Kenny hissed, as he drew a blunt metal bar from behind him. Clementine knew this was going to be ugly, but she was staying to watch the scene. No doubts about it. She had seen this before and lived with it and she would see it again.

"Clementine, you don't need to see this..." Rebecca began, turning to her.

"I'm staying right here" Clementine uttered to Carver's delight.

"Atta girl, she can look it in the eye" Carver said, his eyes following Clementine as she walked around his form, and took a seat in his high chair.

"What are you... getting the best seat in the house?" he asked in a sick sort of jest towards Clementine.

"I want the best view, so yeah" Clementine replied darkly, as Carver let out a hacking cough. When he finished he gazed up at Clementine again. "You know... you and me could have been great team. Had you not sided with the wrong people..."

"Their my family now. I'm with them" Clementine curtly responded, cutting off his sentence. Kenny circled Carver like a hawk, as if looking for the best place to strike him first. Carver didn't even gaze at the predator of Kenny. Instead he gaze remained locked on Clementine.

"You know why I wanted you alive right?" he asked of her. But before she could reply, Luke approached Kenny, with a deadpan look on his face.

"Give me that"

Kenny stared at Luke in bewilderment, his eyes (well his one eye) wide in confusion. For a couple of seconds, Kenny stood there awkwardly, the blunt metal pole still laid limply in his fingers.

"GIVE IT TO ME KENNY! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR SHIT!" Luke bellowed suddenly, a startled Kenny wordlessly gave the metal pole to Luke. Clementine also realised that Luke had now acquired (from the desk no doubt) a deadly silver pickaxe.

Carver turned from Clementine back towards Luke and let out his shrillest laugh yet, Luke didn't even flinch as Carver seemingly calmed himself down and managed to gasp... "Luke... you're going to finish me off!?" he asked in a humorous disbelief.

"That's right" Luke replied, twirling both weapons in his hands as Carver laughed again.

"Little Luke, Mr butter wouldn't melt in my knickers, is actually gonna stop preaching his moralistic bullshit. and stop running from his problems?" Carver asked with a raised eyebrow and in a mocking tone.

"Running away was a mistake. I should have just gutted you when I had the chance" Luke snarled, as Carver made a mock face of horror.

"What? You only saying this now because you're _girlfriend_ died?" Carver teased him with, Luke seemed to have steam coming from his ears, as Rebecca turned rapidly to Sarah and began to usher her out the door "C'mon baby, you don't need to see this" she told the younger girl softly, but Sarah resisted being pushed from the room.

"I... I want to see this" she muttered.

"Sarah" Rebecca gasped, about to start an argument to as why the girl should leave. About why she couldn't see this... but Nick spoke up on Sarah's defence.

"Let her stay Rebecca, she needs to see this"

Rebecca's jaw hit the floor, as she glanced at an icy eyed Nick.

"But Nick..." she began, fumbling for an argument in her head. But suddenly she seemed empty headed, as all she could do was gawp openly, she saw Sarah's hardened eyes behind her new black rimmed glasses. Her rose tinted vision of the world would be permanently shattered after she witnessed this.

But Rebecca could only utter "Very well then" in a quiet, emotionless tone. As she turned back to Carver with a look of pure hatred on her face. Stephanie's silent, unwavering glare and demeanour told Rebecca that she wasn't going anywhere either and it would be a futile attempt to try and make Luke, Kenny or Clementine leave.

"All staying for the show. Grab some popcorn folks! Maybe Luke will make it slow and long..." Carver jeered at a furious Luke, as the two items in his hands shook violently. No one moved as Carver eyes rolled maliciously after everyone in the room, they finally rested on Clementine once again, who held his glare.

"I wanted to congratulate you... on leading a rebellion against me that worked. You turned Luke here into a man... and most of your friends survived this rebellion. I thought you'd just escape. You know...but you're a special little girl. You're stronger than all of them..." (when Carver said this, Clementine was very suddenly reminded of Lee, shrugging of this memory, she returned to the present).

"... you're what the next generation should be" Carver was saying, as he ploughed on, as he looked up at Clementine for the last time.

"Now admit it, you're like me" Were his last words to Clementine.

Clementine didn't break his gaze, or even blink, her reply was cold but honest.

_"I know"_

And that's when Luke struck Carver with the metal bar for the first time as he wheezed in pain, with blood dribbling from his lip, Carver coughed again and looked up at Luke with a sadistic grin "Come on then! Finish me off like a man!"

Luke didn't reply with words he simply hit Carver with the blunt metal bar, again and again and again... Carver finally started to whimper in pain, as his bones broke and his ribs cracked... his body becoming, tangled and bones jutting out of place, as they ripped through his skin. Carver grunted in pain, as Luke continued to pummel him, flecks of his blood starting to litter his office walls.

Luke finally took a breath, straightening up, as Carver managed to utter a single insult at him. Clementine didn't hear what it was, but Luke seemingly did. As tears of rage poured from his eyes, as he gripped his pickaxe so hard, Luke's own blood was sliding down the hilt of the pickaxe.

"FUCKING DIE!" Was what he screamed at Carver, spit and snot flying everywhere, as he now brought his pickaxe down onto Carver's flesh. It instantly cut through Carver's thick skin, as the leader continued to goad and torment Luke, as Luke only flew into a further frenzy. It was seemingly unreal what Clementine was witnessing, blood flew in every direction, as Luke literally cut Carver in half, but Carver was still alive and screaming in pain.

Luke gave up on his pickaxe, wordless roars of hatred and grief erupted from his throat, destroying his vocal chords, as he leapt on William Carver, ripping out his entrails from his stomach with his bare hands, as Carver screamed in agony. Yet Clementine watched the scene without even flinching, as Luke didn't seem to stop, his curled fingers burrowed themselves into the hole where Carver's stomach once was, pulling out every bit of pink flesh he could find and crushing it in his grip. He didn't finish, even when Carver started to choke on his own blood.

Instead when his hands had done their damage and Carver was clinging onto life by a mere thread, Luke shot up and suddenly began to bash Carver's face in, with the soles of his feet pressing down on his face. Luke didn't stop kicking and stomping on his face, even when it became unrecognisable mess of blood, and where Carver's mouth once was, there was dollops of the sticky liquid squirting upwards.

And still, Luke wasn't done, his hands slid across Carver face, digging into the ruined eyes as he squeezed, Carver finally went still and stop twitching, as Luke roared again, his fingers digging into Carver's brain, he raged and he punched and kicked, until Carver's skull finally cracked and snapped open like a treasure chest, revealing his mushy grey brains to the group. Luke gripped Carver's brain with his single hand and tore into it, his nails tearing it too shreds...

He finally finished, in a numb haze as fatigue overcame his body. Bits of Carver's flesh, were stuck into his clothes and hair, and burrowed under his nails. To say he was drenched was an understatement, about 98 per cent of the blood in William Carver's circulation, was now plastered onto Luke. He couldn't move, as he looked down to the unrecognisable mess that was William Carver, A mere empty shell of skin, with a few bones jutting from his form, were all that remained of him. His internal organs were thrown all over the office.

Clementine felt about as numb as Luke, after what she had just witnessed, had that been anyway else other than Carver, she would have worried immensely for Luke's mental health. She thought that was necessary but a bit over the top, she shared a glance with Kenny, she could tell he shared her mindset on the matter.

Stephanie didn't appear affected at all, after all she had done the same to Stan (or near enough) the difference was nobody saw that and Stephanie didn't use her bare hands. Rebecca whimpered slightly, knowing that was too over the top, but she understood that it had to be done. But that didn't mean she wouldn't talk to Luke about it and help him through his rough patch. Out of all of them, Nick looked the most disturbed, not because of Carver's gory demise. But the fact the nicest guy he had ever known... his best friend of 20 years, Luke. Was the one to do it. He was frightened by his friend's change.

Sarah was obviously affected, and quite disgusted by the bloodshed, as she slowly held her hand over her eyes. Never the less she saw the body and handled the situation a lot better than many were expecting her too.

"Luke?" Nick called out too his friend nervously, Luke stood up, still numb from what he had done.

"Let's get out of here" was all he could croak.

Clementine stepped past the corpses of Carver (and she couldn't believe she had missed it the first time) the corpse of Tavia laid down on the floor, as Kenny led the way out of the office. Everyone was speechless, there was nothing to say. What was done was done. William Carver was dead and they had won. But nobody felt too joyous at their "victory". Just numb, tired, traumatized and Clementine knew that no one was in the mood for celebrating. It had felt like they had just finished work and they had all had a very exhausting day. Leaving them tired and grumpy.

Yet just as they opened the door, victory was wiped from Clementine's mind as two men (covered in walker guts) held two guns directly to the group.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" Steve commanded.


	49. Forgive and Forget?

**A/N- Okay, this story will now run to Chapter 52, (If all goes to plan) thanks to everyone once again for sticking by this story as it draws to it's close.**

**DarthVader22- Carver's death was pretty gruesome.**

**Rebloxic- From Carver to Steve... the cycle never seems to end.**

**Eggomypeggo- You'll see how that plays out during this chapter.**

**Maximo- I could imagine Luke starting to lose it after ripping Carver to shreds. **

**Lockdown- I thought Luke needed a moment to shine and it cemented his character arc, from being the good guy who would like to negotiate, to the killer who needs to do, what needs to be done. **

**Guest T- Thanks! As graphic as his death was, it's nice to know it was written well and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!**

**apathy- I love your reviews and speculation, I'm glad you pointed out things such as the "metaphorical torch" and Luke's murder of Carver, although it's true, what you picked up on that no one can talk to him about it for a little while. My whole plan during this story was to develop him to this point, and I was supposed to write a sentence on how there was "No Going Back" for Luke after what he did. But I think I'll add that phrase later on anyway. **

**leafs nation- Well, you can say... he hated Carver's guts. (Bad pun there)**

**obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for another great review, I'm glad you're hyped for what's coming. Oh and do you mind if I PM you? I've got two ideas on two different scenario's that will play out next chapter, (Chapter 50) and I trust you to give me the best advice on which scenario would play out better. **

**Emily Carver- I'm glad you found it satisfying, as people have been waiting for 48 chapters for that moment. **

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thank you for another review and the cliffhanger at the end of your story left me worried for Sarah more than anyone else even if she was pushed to the floor. **

**and finally thank you to Legionary Prime for your review and now onto this chapter...**

* * *

Everyone seemingly blinked in wonder at this new beings that had appeared in their numb hazy mist. The two men continued to glare at them, shoving the butt of their rifles in their faces.

"ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF!? DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" Steve bellowed, as slowly but surely, hatches, bars and guns clattered on the ground, as Steve smiled and growled "Down the stairs, go!"

Kenny led the way, with his head bowed down, as Steve and the other man followed them down the stairs, as they did, Steve muttered to Nick and Sarah "So we meet again"

Nick glared back at him, before he growled "You god-damn fucking bandits..."

"Who are these people?" Clementine asked bewildered, as Sarah slowly turned to her and gave her the answer she was looking for.

"Their bandits, that were chasing me and Nick through the woods, one of them shot me" Sarah recounted in a small voice, as Steve growled "We were after your meds, girl, surely you could have spared us some?"

"Yeah, like we'd wanna share meds with a bunch of murderous assholes like yourselves" Nick seemed to hiss, his voice growing louder with every word, as the rage inside of him reached it's peak. However Steve simply approached him, and whacked him hard across the face, as he fell to the floor, Sarah screamed "NICK!"

"Get up! Or It'll worse next time" Steve warned as Nick slowly got to his feet and glared silently at Steve.

"Don't hurt my friends!" Sarah snapped up at him, instantly shrinking in his shadow.

"I'd keep quiet missy! Now move!" Steve bellowed again, as the group proceeded forwards and down the stairs, Clementine didn't know what the hell to make of these parasites of bandits, who had clearly been observing the rebellion and had now chosen this moment (when they cleared out Carver) to strike. It was clever a move, but Clementine mind was now buzzing with ways to get out of this new threat.

Damn it, she had not come this far, she had not saved most of her friends and kept this community intact for it to fall now, because of a few leeching bandits!

"Clementine" Steve said.

Confused, Clementine turned around as Steve seemed to whistle.

"So... you are called Clementine, you're the one she kept babbling on about" Steve muttered seemingly impressed, as his black orbs surveyed every inch of the eleven year old.

"Who kept babbling on about me?" Clementine asked, now completely confused. She didn't know any of these people.

"Oh... she'll have an orgasm when she sees you again" Steve joked very crudely, as the man next to him let out some barking laughs that made Clementine's ears sore. Glaring at the pair of them, she was about to proceed into the main part of the store, when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Steve, you got them?"

No... it couldn't be. It can't have been! Kenny seemed make a jerking movement, as if he had been electrocuted, as the woman's voice flooded his eardrums an instant look of fury crossed his face, as Clementine felt like she'd been dunked in a vat of ice. All along she had been living by this second chance, knowing full well who was involved. Nothing had prepared her for...

"Well?" Lilly demanded the answer, as she rounded the corner.

... for Lilly to return.

Lilly's voice died in her throat, because her and Kenny were now face to face.

It was too bizarre for Clementine's eyes, to see Kenny and Lilly glaring at each other again. She was suddenly transported back to the motor inn and Lee was walking past as she coloured over a leaf on the ground. Carley was leaning on the railing above her, as Duck ran past her in circles, as she dimly watched Lilly and Kenny get into another argument.

This blast from the past, seemed to last for an age. As Kenny and Lilly both stared at each other in disbelief, with traces of rage etching into their features.

"No fucking way" Kenny finally uttered.

"You're still alive?" Lilly asked in disbelief.

They store at each other once again, before Kenny finally seemed to snap out of his stupor as he angrily growled "So... first you steal our RV!? And now you fucking hunt us down with these murderous fucks!" Kenny finished his sentence, screaming at her, as her face crumpled into an all too familiar scowl.

"Fuck you Kenny! Have you forgotten what you did too me!?" Lilly screamed back.

"What I did to you! That's twice you've screwed us over! Lee should have just left you on the road to die...!" Was Kenny's damming verdict on her, as Lilly once again opened her mouth...

"I don't care about what happens to you Kenny! I came back to help Lee and Clementine!"

"Don't act like you give a shit about them!"

"LEE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO TREATED ME LIKE A PERSON! AND NOT A PIECE OF SHIT...!"

"YEAH WELL, THANKS TO YOU HIS DEAD NOW!"

Lilly's rage sank as she heard this news as she let out a distant "What?".

Kenny spoke on, "After you left us, we couldn't get the train going. Lee, Ben, Kajtaa and Duck all got bit! They did right there and we had no way to move! Me and Clem got separated and...!"

"THAT WASN'T WHAT HAPPENED KENNY!" Clementine roared, losing her temper. Knowing he was doing this on purpose to make Lilly feel even more guilty over what had happened as she set the record straight "They died later on, It wasn't really your fault" she told Lilly shyly, as Lilly looked down at Clementine as her eyes widened.

"Clem... Clementine!" Lilly stuttered in disbelief, before Clementine could stop her, Lilly hugged the eleven year old, as Clementine struggled to breathe, they pulled apart as Lilly's face was now so close to her own, she could feel the woman's warm breath on her face.

"My God you've changed and yet, you're still wearing that thing?" Lilly mused happily, touching Clementine's all too familiar cap, as if to check if it was real.

"Yeah" Clementine replied, as Lilly suddenly started to tear up, a confused Clementine looked up, as a salty tear hit her face.

"My God... you still wear those" she murmured, pointing at the hair bobbles that Clementine had completely forgotten about that lay nestled into her hair. It took a moment for Clementine to realise, that Lilly had originally gave her the bobbles to help her to sleep at night.

"Yeah" Clementine repeated in the same emotionless tone.

Lilly stood up tall again, wiping away a tear as she returned to her usual hard faced self.

"How the hell did you find us!?" Kenny snapped at her.

"We trailed these two" she gestured at a glowering Nick and Sarah "and I knew Clementine was alive, when I found this on the forest floor" Lilly muttered, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper, that Lilly handed to Clementine who instantly recognised it as...

"My drawing, I lost this in woods!" she exclaimed in shock. Looking down at the shoddy drawing of Kenny's family, as Kenny himself gazed at it with wide eyes.

"You kept that on you?" he asked Clementine, slightly touched by this gesture.

"Every day" Clementine replied.

Kenny was silent, as Clementine decided to hand a glossy eyed Kenny the drawing of himself and his family. He had remembered that Clementine had drew this back when they were on the train and it was the perfect picture of innocence and of when times were easier...

"Alright enough mushy crap, let's round them up Lilly" Steve muttered as Lilly nodded and they proceeded into the main area of the store.

"Well... so much for caring about Clementine, if you're just gonna keep her as your hostage!" Kenny spat towards Lilly once again.

Lilly didn't reply, as she looked ahead of her.

"She shot Sarah! I'm with Kenny on this one" Nick piped up, as Kenny grinned at the support he was receiving, Clementine gazed at Lilly in shock.

"First you shot Carley and now Sarah?" Clementine inquired, she was appalled when Lilly simply nodded.

"I shouldn't have done it" was all she said.

"Oh, you finally just realize that!? Huh!?" Kenny demanded, still openly shooting daggers at the back of her hair, which Lilly ignored, as Clementine was lead into the centre of the store and forced to kneel.

Steve, the man and four others were pointing guns at the group they had managed to round up. The fire had (thankfully) been extinguished, by a soot covered Mike. He and Bonnie were knelt next to a now awake Sarita, who is muttering under her breath and holding her stump. Wyatt faced the floor, with a still unconscious Eddie being supported on his shoulders. Vince was noticeably absent, yet no one seemed to acknowledge this, as well as these people there was also another nameless woman who was rounded up (she looked like the only survivor of the rebellion, whose name Clementine didn't know).

"The fat guy says that's everyone" A woman told Steve, as the others all fell to their knees next to already captured group members. Clementine had noticed that Vince was still absent and Clementine could only hope that the asian man had a plan.

"So, should we get this over with?" Steve asked of his group.

They all nodded, Clementine looked up to see them turn their guns... not on the store survivors.

_But on Lilly herself._

Clementine's eyes widened, her head dizzy by everything was blowing up in her face, the brutal slaughter of Carver, seeing Lilly and Kenny again and now watching Lilly's new group seemingly turn on her... too many major events were happening within the space of mere minutes. Leaving little Clementine's head a muddle as she tried to grasp what the hell was going on.

"We promised you, you could have the girl. But we work as a seven Lilly" Steve told her grimly, to further Clementine's confusion, Lilly didn't even seemed shocked about this, instead she simply muttered "I knew all along you just wanted me to lead you here Steve. But I can't let you kill these guys and take their stuff!"

Steve let out a laugh, as Kenny looked up with a mocking glare, almost as if to say "Ha, ha" childishly. Yet Lilly didn't flinch, even though they were six guns trained on her.

"Hey Clementine, If I take these guys out. Would you forgive me?" Lilly suddenly asked of her, as Clementine looked up at her,

"You ain't got a chance Lilly!" Steve bellowed.

"Look, I know I did wrong before! But I want to make it up to you Clementine! You and Lee were the only one's I cared about! I spent two years trying to find you again! I'll die protecting you!" she seemingly begged and screamed for Clementine's forgiveness. As Clementine looked up at her, she had done so many bad things... she had killed Carley and shot Sarah and was running around with these types of people... and yet...

"THAT'S BULLSHIT! DON'T LISTEN TO HER CLEMENTINE!" Nick roared over at the eleven year old. Yet it was Nick's outburst that seemed to sway her mind in the other direction, as she reached her conclusion.

"Remember Matthew, Nick?" Clementine asked, as Nick's face sunk, as he began to gasp... "Well... I didn't know..."

"It's the same" Clementine said, shutting him up "You and Lilly both here shot someone they thought was a danger to the group. So if you don't want me to forgive her, than that's like saying the group shouldn't have forgiven you!" she reasoned, as Nick couldn't muster a word to argue back to her. Because it all rang true to him.

"I agree" Sarah piped up quietly, as all heads turned to her, as Nick looked at her in wonder as she spoke. As Sarah looked up and directly addressed Lilly "I... forgive you Lilly..." she stuttered before continuing "Even if you shot me... I know now, you want to protect us and if we don't forgive her... than were just like Carver" she reasoned as Lilly smiled warmly at the 15 year old.

"Thank you" she said, while aiming her rifle towards the bandits slowly starting to encircle her.

"What!? You folk weren't with her! You don't know how much of a nightmare she can be!" Kenny spat for all to hear.

"Yeah, well you weren't against her either" Nick told him back, as Kenny's lips shut into a near straight line, as Nick exhaled and finally seemed to come to his senses "Clementine's right" he said clearly, "I fucked up, If Walter didn't forgive me, I'd be dead. I can't let that happen someone else!" He reasoned, as Clementine smiled, everything was coming together (as Kenny still scowled) pulling a whimpering Sarita closer to him.

"Promise me, you want leave us again and promise me you'll do the right thing!" Clementine exclaimed to Lilly. Who still stood there aiming her gun, but her eyes flickered back down at Clementine for a second.

"I promise" she said firmly.

Steve let out a guffawing laugh at this, as he shook his head "I don't know what y'all making these deals for! Have you forgotten about ol' Stevie boy here!" he mused as the group circled Lilly "Ain't no way you're gonna win Lilly" he told her "So stop speaking as though you have, because guess what?" he asked, when he received no answer he ploughed on anyhow.

"... ladies and gentlemen!" (he seemed to be addressing his own group, as well as the store's survivors) "I found Russell in there. Dead as a fucking dodo. It just goes to show what happens to whiny, weak, little cowards who try and face us! Russell ran away from us a long time ago! and wasn't that the wrong fucking choice, huh!? We've been going strong for two years! Killing groups larger than yours! Ain't nothin' gonna stop us...!" Clementine found it almost hilarious, that these were Steve's last words, as a gunshot soared through the air and indeed stopped him. As the bullet went clean through his skull.

Steve went wide eyed for a second, before he collapsed onto the floor. Seizing this opportunity, Lilly open fired, on the five remaining bandits, who instantly fired back. As those on the floor instantly scrambled for any sort of cover.

From where he was hidden up in the rafters. Vince put down his smoking pistol, staring at Steve's dead body, he muttered...

_ "That was for Russell"_

Back on the ground, Clementine collided into someone and fell to the floor... in the chaos and gunfire, she looked up to see Kenny desperately trying to drag Sarita into cover. But it was no good, one of the bandits was nearly upon them. He pulled the gun down on them, as Sarita screamed...

BANG!

The bandit fell backwards, clutching his stomach, as another bullet that flew through the air hit him in the cheek, (Clementine was reminded of Carley because of this), she looked above her to see Lilly. Standing there with her smoking rifle, she looked shocked that she saved Kenny and Sarita's lives. (Well more so Kenny, because she didn't know who the hell Sarita was) Kenny looked back at Lilly.

Both of them stared at each other with wide eyes. Clementine was just as shocked that Lilly had indeed repaid them. She may have killed Carley, but as of now, she had just saved the life of the man who murdered her father.

Lilly looked down, before running off to deal with the rest of the bandits, she fired another shot, bringing a young woman down to the floor. Clementine got to her feet, just as a new wave of gunfire met her ears, as she watched the final three bandits fall to the floor.

Luke stood over them, he had acquired a rifle and was gazing at the bodies with a blank face. Even more worrying, is that he wasn't reacting to the bullets in his arm and shoulder that left two red holes in his skin.

"Jesus man! You've been shot!" Nick noted, with wide eyed as Luke tried to brush him off.

"I'm fine Nick" he muttered.

"You're not. They need dealing with" Nick growled, gesturing at the wounds.

Luke simply crouched on the ground, not saying a word, as Nick (slowly and uncertainly) began to treat Luke's wounds. When Luke didn't flinch, Nick managed began to pull out the bullets, he called Sarah over for assistance, as she ran over. The baby (still in Rebecca's arms) started to wail, as Lilly approached the child, Rebecca glared at her and asked cautiously, "Are... you with us now?"

"Who else would I be with?" Lilly replied, as Rebecca's suspicion faded, as she smiled warmly at the woman.

"Are you okay Clementine?" Lilly asked as Clementine walked over to the group, who were now approaching Lilly.

"Yeah, you've haven't been shot have you?" Clementine asked in concern as Lilly shook her head "No, I got lucky, real lucky" she mused, as Clementine remembered how Kenny had said something similar. Even Rebecca seemed to sense some sort of familiarity in this phrase.

"First Kenny and now you. Clem honey, you seem to have connections everywhere" Rebecca mused as Clementine simply smiled. Now she had Lilly with her, the second chance couldn't have gone any better.

"Nice shot by the way" Wyatt told Vince, who approached the group from where he was hidden in the rafters of the store. Descending carefully from the roof, he landed on a still standing shelf, before he jumped down to the ground level and accepted Wyatt's compliment.

"Thanks" he said, he was still saddened by Russell's death. But now he had gotten his revenge... not on Carver but the next best person. Had helped him deal with the loss a lot better.

"Well... welcome to the group Miss...?" Bonnie began as Lilly answered her.

"Miss Caul"

"Miss Lilly Caul, it's pleasure to have you here. We've just overthrew the mad dictator here and as of now. I reckon we can finally relax!" Bonnie exclaimed cheerfully, but Lilly cut her off.

"I wish I could, but this rebellion you had, caused a load of noise" Lilly explained, as she continued "Me and my former group..." she spat this out before once again continuing "We snuck through a whole god-damn herd to get here and they are approaching" she warned them. There was no need to explain any more, Mike quite simply opened the hanger door, as Clementine could now see the first walkers, climbing over the already full trench and stumble towards the hardware store.

"Oh for fuck's sake" Was all Vince could say. Oh for fuck's sake indeed.

"Hang on! We have a flare around here somewhere! That should be able to distract the herd!" Bonnie exclaimed her face lighting up, as she looked wildly around the destroyed store, as her face sunk...

"You guys hold em off while I find it!" Bonnie yelled, as she ran back into the hardware store.

"First Carver and his goons, than a fire, than other bandits and now walkers all over again! Can't they give us a break! What the hell's next? UFO's!?" Wyatt vented in frustration as Stephanie chuckled from beside him.

"I dunno, it's like this night never ends" she said sombrely, her blue eyes gazing at the approaching silhouettes of the walkers, that approached them from the dark night.

"Well then, let's hold them off!" Lilly screamed leading the way for a defence of this store. As the others all readied their guns, Kenny approached Lilly, he didn't say a word, he tried to move his lips but no sound came out. However a still pale Sarita managed to say "Thank you, for saving our lives" as Lilly looked over at her.

"No problem" she brushed Sarita off with. Yet Clementine could tell it had been a problem for her. She could imagine the inner debate Lilly must have had. She could have easily just let Kenny die. In that way there would be no more arguments between him and her, she could avenge her father and she wouldn't have had to kill him. She would be scot free and without Kenny. Yet she had saved him. Was it for Clementine's sake? Or was she finally amending for her past sins?

"I'm glad you saved Kenny, it was the right choice" Clementine told her, as she turned away from the approaching herd for a second and beamed down at Clementine.

"I know, it's great to be back" she mused, as Clementine returned the earlier hug Lilly had given her. Lilly was touched by this gesture, as her resolve to survive only doubled at those moment. Breaking apart from Clementine, she faced the herd, ready to fight until her last breath.

"LET'S GIVE THEM HELL!" She roared, as the group began to open fire.

_Unaware, that the dead always won. _


	50. Not Today

**A/N- Okay I'm going to keep this author's note short, and I'll try to address you all.**

**Eggomypeggo and Maximo- what makes you so sure Lilly will die? Anyone could, but I'm glad for your continued reviews and support and you'll see how things turn out in this chapter.**

**Lockdown-thanks and It would be interesting to hear how you got your name.**

**apathy and Rebloxic- Thanks for your reviews! Don't worry I haven't built up this conflict just for it all to be nothing, you'll see how things play out this chapter. But I'm glad that it's suspenseful! **

**Legionary Prime and Emily Carver- Both are you are concerned about that ending line. You'll see how things turn out this chapter, and also thanks for your reviews and continued support!**

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks! and I really liked "In The Pines" so henceforth Anne using it as a sort of lullaby to get Clementine to go to sleep was great! **

**and finally Obsessed naruhina fangirl, thanks a ton for your reviews and advice and I'm glad you helped me decide on the ending! I hope it does you justice and you enjoy it!**

**P.S Extra points for anyone who finds the Game of Thrones reference in this chapter! (and this chapter is noticeably much shorter than the past couple of chapters) **

* * *

The rhythm of bullets shattered the cold night air, as the first row of the stumbling walkers were brought down to the concrete ground. Sweat trickled from Lilly's temples as she aimed into the approaching herd. Curses were muttered as the store survivors stopped to reload their weapons. They fired until their fingers were sore, until bodies started to pile on top of each other, as dozens of walkers began to crash against the other closed hanger doors.

"SHIT! THEIR GONNA GET IN!" Lilly roared, she was running low on ammo as the walkers were encircling the store. Clementine dropped her (out of ammo) pistol, her fingers were numb as she stared into the abyss, of the never ending dark forms approaching the store. This defiantly felt like a last stand...

"Hurry the hell up Bonnie!" Wyatt screamed to the celling, as he continued to fire into approaching grim reapers. Nothing but death and hellish figures were getting closer with each passing second. The hanger doors were swaying more violently...

Bonnie ran through the store, aware of the threat and now aware that her finding this flare, is what would ultimately save the group. She tried to calm her panicked mind, looking around wildly, she breathed deep and muttered "Okay... okay Bonnie. You got it. You got it." she struggled to remember where Carver had kept that damn flare. Well she was observant, all she had to do was remember... just remember...

"HA!" Bonnie mused aloud, sprinting towards Carver's office, remembering now that's where he kept most of his things.

_"This flare will be used to distract the herd if things get too hairy..." she remembered Carver lecturing the group a long time ago._

"Yeah, well we could really use it now Bill" Bonnie thought, bursting open the door to his office, she didn't flinch at the two corpses laid on the ground, instead she simply threw open drawers, as papers and bits and bobs of metals flew all around the room...

"C'MON WHERE IS IT!?" Bonnie screamed to the drawers, she flung out another one and caught sight of the gun, before she moved her feet and slipped on the blood on the floor and went flying...

She banged her head against the desk, causing it to bleed slightly. Yet after the injuries she had attained tonight, this was nothing. Bonnie stood up slowly wiping the painful bleeding lump on her head. Her wound didn't matter, she had seen the gun, just before she had gone flying... where did it land? Where did it land!?

She received her answer a second later ,as she glanced at Carver corpse. to see that, the gun had fallen into the hole where his stomach once was. The smell was repulsive, as Bonnie's hand quickly darted into the gory hole and around the silver flare gun. She felt like she was playing a very sick game of Operation.

"GOTCHA!" She exclaimed in triumph, she wiped splashes of blood from the gun, before tearing down the stairs again. Praying she wasn't too late and praying that walkers weren't already flooding into the store...

To her relief she hit the ground floor, to find that the walkers weren't in the store. But approaching it fast...

"HURRY UP!" Mike bellowed, the walkers now were merely feet away from him, as he fired his last rounds into them...

Bonnie wasted no time, she leapt past a shaky looking Clementine, as Bonnie leapt out into the car park, the walkers were so close to her now... gritting her teeth... she aimed the flare upwards, and snapping her eyes shut she pulled the trigger...

There was a resounding POP! As the flare shot up into the sky and navigated itself towards the tree-line, Bonnie stared on. as the smoke trail that the flare left, made an arching shape from her to the treeline.

With a louder POP! The flare lit up the night sky, a scarlet red, as it sizzled, these sounds turned every walker head in the vicinity, as they looked upwards with blank faces.

"Quiet y'all" Bonnie muttered in fear, as all gunfire ceased and the group were silent, as only the sizzling of the bright red flare continued to light the night sky.

All of their faces a red shade from the vibrant flare, the group only looked at each other, as the walkers slowly but surely began to walk towards the flare... their interest in the hardware store forgotten, as the store survivors didn't even breathe... the bangs on the hanger doors ceased... the herd of walkers dispersed into the treeline...

Bonnie slowly walked back inside the store, hardly daring to believe it, as Mike (carefully) closed the hanger door. The slight bang it made when it shut, seemed to confirm something.

"It's over" Kenny seemed to whisper, his first words since Lilly had saved him.

"We did it! Looks like this place is our's!" Lilly responded, with a huge grin, replacing her usual scowl.

"Better not celebrate too loud, we'll draw them back" Luke said approaching them, being supported by Nick and Sarah, as Kenny looked over at him.

"You look like shit"

"Don't we all?"

The group laughed collectively at this, the sweet taste of a hard earned victory finally resting on Clementine's shoulders.

And boy it felt good!

The group's laughter died down, as the group remained giddy at their victory, never the less there was an empty feeling in the air, as Stephanie asked, "Well... now what?"

"Now what? We'll make this place a stronghold. We get people in proper living conditions! We make a community again!" Luke spoke up, a determined charisma returning to his tone, as he looked around the empty store. It was for them to use now...

"Who made you the one to start barking out instructions? Who made you leader?" Kenny asked of Luke, who simply shrugged.

"No one, it simply fell on my shoulders. If anyone has a problem with that, speak up!"

No one did. Clementine could agree that Luke had a drive about him that kept the group moving. Of course, he wouldn't be the same man (after what had happened with Jane) but he was (for now) pulling himself together to lead the group in a new direction.

"So, we clean this place for starters!" Luke began...

Clementine smiled, it was if it was a dream. She had started at the bottom and she... no... now they were all _here. _She had used her second chance to take over Carver's community and build a new home for her and her friends, some old and some new.

She didn't know who had given her the second chance, but she could place a very good bet, on who she thought it was. She looked down into her pocket, where the photo of Lee still resided.

_"Thank you Lee"_ She muttered.

Luke carried on like a true leader, assigning jobs based off everyone strengths, listening to what others had to say. Eventually he turned to Clementine "Clem, this community wouldn't be here without you, how would you help me like to lead it?" he offered her, as Clementine's mouth opened in shock.

"But... I'm only eleven..." she began.

"Only eleven my ass, you were born for this Clem" Kenny told her lightly.

"Kenny's right. Everyone seems to look up to you" Lilly stated, Clementine was shocked, not because Lilly had given her a vote of confidence to become leader. But because she agreed with Kenny. Kenny looked just as surprised.

"Well?" Luke asked, Clementine saw the whole group smiling at her, well... she didn't want to disappoint them.

"I'll do it" she said firmly.

This earned some cheers from the group, these cheers finally seemed to wake a still out of it Eddie, whose black orbs fluttered open, as he looked around confused at the scene...

"Woah... what's going on?" he asked of a nearby Wyatt, who simply looked down at him.

"What did I miss?" Eddie asked again.

"Everything" Wyatt replied on monotone.

In the end, the dead always won. That was fact.

But this was not _"The End"._

What could the store survivors say to the walking dead?

_Not today. _


	51. Aftermath

**A/N- Okay, so were here (the penultimate chapter) I'll keep this author's note short and (once again) thank everyone who has reviewed/Favorited/followed and read this story. I hope these closing "happy" chapters do the story justice and that you'll enjoy! **

**Thanks again!**

* * *

_The Next Morning._

"Clementine, Kenny, Sarita, Lilly, Nick, Sarah, Rebecca, Alvin, Vince, Wyatt, Eddie, Bonnie, Mike, Stephanie, Kelly and... ah, me" Luke muttered ticking off the names of everyone currently alive and present within the hardware store. He glanced around Carver's office, feeling a bit to big for his boots in this massive chair of Carver's. Although the bodies had been moved (and the floor scrubbed) Carver and Tavia's scarlet slashes of blood still hung in the office. On the floor or on the wall.

Trying to distract himself from the eerie atmosphere of the room, Luke tried calm his nerves by brushing his fingers through his straggly chestnut hair. Yet it was knotty and unwashed and bits of god knows what still fell from his hair. He was still sitting in his crumpled jumpsuit, he had barely gotten any sleep last night. He was still too numb and pumped full or adrenaline to simply lie down and sleep. He was also still grieving...

He buried these thoughts quickly, throwing himself back into his work. He gazed at the piece of paper in front of him, the pen in his fingers quaking, as Luke grunted and pushed the pen down to meet the paper. Next to where he had placed the names of everyone alive in the pen, he began to scribble the jobs they had been assigned...

"Sarita, Sarah and Wyatt, training doctors in the sick bay..." Luke muttered, as he continued to check the names to see that everyone had an occupation.

"Kelly, Kenny, Vince and Eddie guards on the roof, also responsible for clearing the trenches once there full.."

"Mike, Bonnie and Lilly construction workers and working in the armoury on ammo..."

"Stephanie, on perimeter defence with the watchdogs... could also help with cleaning..."

"Nick, up in the greenhouse harvesting food, also could work in the armoury..."

"Rebecca, working on salvaging, also cleaner of the store. "

"Clementine and Luke, leader and co leader... other jobs... Luke harvesting food with Nick. Clementine, roof guard or harvester"

Luke smiled down proudly at the list, placing a small star next to the names, who could have more than one job. Everyone had a purpose here, he was playing to everyone's strengths. He and Nick had once previously been farmhands so it seemed best that they could harvest foods and fruits from the greenhouse. Besides he needed to talk to Nick about all that had happened. He felt lost without Jane.

He and Jane both made love for the first time in the main greenhouse.

Luke gasped aloud when he realised this, he quickly composed himself and snarled "God damn Luke man, you're losing it. Just keep it cool. For them" he spat out to thin air. Shaking his head violently he tried to lie back in the Carver's chair. Trying to place his feet on Carver's desk with the posture of the confident leader.

"Too big for your boots?"

Luke's eyes rapidly swept over the empty office, he was certain for a second. That he had heard Carver's gravelly voice taunt him once again. Yet there was no Carver to be seen, but his voice was as clear as day. Luke blinked a few times. Nervously he tried to lie back into Carver's snugly black seat yet again, the chair was comfortable but Luke didn't know why he felt so uncomfortable in such a seat.

"It's because you're not worthy to be leader" a warped harsh hiss came from an invisible Jane. Luke now looked around wildly, his heart racing, he couldn't see them.

But he could hear them. The voices of regret and what he did to Carver. The voices of grief and guilt that spoke to him through Jane.

After what he did last night, was he losing it?

His train of inner thoughts were broken as the door creaked open slightly. Regaining himself, he arched his back straight up like a board, as Clementine walked into the office. She could tell almost instantly that he was disturbed, because his method of hiding it. (pretending to look pokerfaced while staring at her, with a rigid body posture) if he was truly relaxed, he would have been bent over his worksheets, with a more relaxed body posture.

"Ah, Clem!" Luke seemed to gasp in surprise, as Clementine walked in slowly (the gasp only furthering her point, that Luke was in silent distress) she took her seat next to Luke, as Luke pushed the sheet towards her, that he had just been writing on.

"Here, it's the official list of the jobs I've assigned too everyone. You can go around and spread the news" Luke informed her as Clementine's eyebrows seemingly vanished up into her growing strands of black curls.

"What's a matter?" he asked, feeling a bit cautious.

"I have to harvest plants, with you and Nick?" She asked in horror, as Luke grinned.

"S'matter with that?"

"You both smell funny" she responded dryly.

"Well you could always go and move the walkers from the trenches" Luke offered.

This shut Clementine up, as she sat herself down on chair opposite to Luke's.

"I was joking, I'm fine with all these jobs. I'm sure everyone else will be too" She told him, a reassured Luke was able to lie back on his seat, in Clementine's presence he was able to relax slightly more. Yet the silence between them grew a little too dense after a while.

"Luke?" Clementine finally spoke up.

"Yeah" he responded staring at the celling.

"This leader stuff... what are we actually meant to do?"

Luke muttered his response like the natural leader he was... "Well, we help out with the jobs. If something happens we deicide what to do next. We give advice to others, we make sure everyone's working. We keep everyone safe... it's kinda simple really" Luke was speaking, knowing that (somehow) Clementine was merely his morale support. Because right now he was truly the leader, as he was giving Clementine advice and support. As Clementine slowly nodded at his words.

"It's just, I'm only a kid and everyone else is an adult. If something happens. I don't think I could control it" Clementine muttered sadly, as Luke stood up and walked over to her.

"Don't doubt yourself Clem, you have no idea how much people here respect you. You made the deals with Carver, you've done things that an 11 year old should never have to do. But throughout it all, you kept your head on your shoulders and you played those mind games with Carver and you won. If you can handle all that, than you're the leader in many people's eyes. Age don't mean nothing Clem"

Clementine beamed up at Luke, she could see the drawing of his parents (she had drawn for him) was pinned up on the wall behind his desk.

"You kept that?" She asked gazing at it, as Luke looked at her, as if she grew two heads.

"Of course I did... and this..." he murmured sadly gazing at his golden locket. The thing that Jane had returned to him. Too him it now reminded him off her, the locket stank of her unique scent... he had hugged her for the first time after regaining this locket and the romance had blossomed from there. Clementine could feel the mood in the room sink into sadness, as Luke's gaze remained fixed on the locket.

"I liked Jane, I'm sorry" Clementine told him, as he shook his head.

"Nah, don't blame yourself. It's my fault she died... if I wasn't such a damn fucking pansy..." he seemed to be muttering angrily at himself now, a concerned Clementine cut off his muttering, with a curt cough. Yet other than the cough, she couldn't think of anything else to say to him. Because it _was_ his fault Jane had died.

"Do you reckon I went too far with Carver?" Luke suddenly asked at her. His wide pupils, had now switched to the bloodstains on the floor, as Clementine shook her head so hard, her world began to spin.

"No, you did what had to be done Luke" She said softly to him, as Luke returned back to his desk as he muttered "Okay Clem, you can go now. Thanks for checking up on me"

"The showers are working again. Bonnie says you could use a shower and a clothing change, everyone else got themselves cleaned up" Clementine offered in hopes of snapping Luke out of his cycles of grief. Yet he remained non- responsive.

"You know... we could talk"

This gained Luke's attention, the young man looked up at Clementine. The eleven year old continued.

"I blame myself for a lot of my friend's deaths too. Maybe if we spoke about it, too each other it would be easier to deal with. I just don't want you too deal with this alone anymore Luke" Clementine voice was becoming raw now (although she had no idea why) Luke didn't seem to respond for a full minute, before his face finally softened, as his eyes glistened.

"Thanks Clem, I'd like that" he almost whispered.

"Hey, were co leaders we need to help each other" She mused, before flying out of the door. Placing herself and Luke into a better mood.

As _A New Day_ dawned.

* * *

Kenny, Sarita and Eddie laid propped up in the comfortable beds in the sick bay. Wyatt was filling in Eddie on the chaotic events of the previous night. As Eddie nodded like a bell, the information ringing in his brain as he had to process all the deaths that had occurred.

"So Clem's old friend turns up, more bandits, walkers and... ah my head hurts. I'm just going to accept the fact that we won and that's all there is too it" Eddie summarised, as Wyatt rolled his eyes, his detailed hour long recap of the previous nights, obviously wasted on his dim witted friend.

A few make-shift beds away Sarah was rapidly telling her tale to Kenny, Sarita, Rebecca who were listening in eagerly...

"A cult in body bags!?" Kenny asked the teenager in doubt, as she nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, you can ask Nick, or even Lilly I bet she knows about them!" Sarah mused, her eyes lightened behind her glasses. As Kenny growled "Uh... Lilly..."

"Kenny... whatever rivalry you had with her, should end. She saved our lives" Sarita reminded him. Kenny merely grunted.

"Okay so I owe her one. Doesn't mean I have to like her" Kenny growled, but his grumpy demeanour faded when he turned back to his girlfriend, "Besides, I also owe you too Sarita, last night when we surrounded by those guys. I thought that was it..."

Sarita remembered it vividly, Kenny was going full rambo, shooting down guards left right and centre, before he suddenly found himself surrounded, with guards about to fire. Whatever sort of empathy Sarita had for those people disappeared in that second. As something inside of her snapped and she found herself openly shooting those guards with no hesitation. That was until Troy leapt on a beaten Kenny and Sarita felt something bite her arm...

"I'm proud of you" Kenny told her warmly, bringing her back to present and breaking her chilling recount of the night before.

Sarita didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, that the only thing she felt bad about losing that night was her arm.

She held the stump up too the light as she uttered "It's strange though Kenny. I thought I'd feel something, some sort of guilt after killing those guards. But I don't feel anything"

"That's a good thing, those people didn't deserve you sympathy Sarita. They had to be taken out for all our sake's" Rebecca told her sternly, baby Alvin fast asleep in her arms.

"Yeah, we still have each other. That's the main thing hon" Kenny said pulling her closer, as Sarah timidly asked "So... how do your injures feel?"

"A lot better, thanks to you doctor Sarah" Sarita told the teenager, causing Sarah to flush in embarrassed pride.

"Well... I did learn a lot from Nick and I have a book I brought from the cabin that can help, and..."

She didn't get any further as Clementine entered the sick bay, she quickly checked up on an injured Wyatt and Eddie. Wyatt was delighted to learn he'd be working as a medic. While Clementine openly laughed at Eddie's reaction, when he discovered he'd be one of the one's clearing the walkers from the trenches "I WAKE UP TO THIS...!?" he shouted for the whole of the sick bay to laugh at. After breaking the news to them, she approached Kenny and Sarita's besides.

"Hey Clem, so I see Luke's got the jobs down for us?" Was Rebecca's greeting, she looked at her job on the list and scoffed "Cleaner my ass" she moaned, but humorously, she seemed fine with the job otherwise. As Kenny murmured "Clearin' out the trenches, figures" as Sarita's eyes nearly popped out of her head at her job.

"Medic,with Wyatt and Sarah... but my arm..." she muttered, gazing at the stump (to her, losing an arm still hadn't sunk in yet), but she finally sighed and seemed to accept him "Well...at least I still have my good hand" she muttered flexing her right arm and hand. When her arm wound fully healed she reckoned she would be ready to deal with injured people. She, Wyatt and Sarah would be trained (from a book, but still) and she was determined to learn. She was a maternal type and would help those in need.

Wyatt had previous knowledge of "medicines" that seemed to grow with each passing day, and although Sarah was still somewhat shy. Her trek outside the store had done her wonders, leaving her more confident than ever before (although, she could still be observed, shaking or twitching when Lilly walked by. Then again you can hardly expect to get comfortable around the person who shot you, for quite a while) she may not have known much about medicine or being a doctor. But Carlos' skills had defiantly passed onto his daughter. When Sarah patched someone up, you could tell she was in her element.

She didn't want to hurt people. She wanted to help and was so far growing fast ,as one of the group's main medics. Finally able to serve a purpose.

And no longer be the dreaded liability.

"Hey Clem, we made a pinkie promise. So tonight you can tell me the rest of your story! and I'll tell you all of mine...!" Sarah was speaking at a million miles an hour. Clementine couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, it was a hard thing to come by in this world of the living dead. Clementine had to applaud Sarah for retaining her optimism despite all the stuff she had seen outside of the store, and give credit too Nick as well, for protecting her without ridding her of her entirely of her innocence.

"Yeah, that sounds great Sarah" Clementine mused, as she walked off to her next job. A smile still playing on her face, as she heard Sarah rabble on about all the books she was going to read with Clementine. Oh and she had the camera from the cabin as well. They could take a few photos and have a slumber party and...

Clementine left the sick bay at that moment. Looking forward to tonight. Where she would be taking photos and sharing stories with her best friend.

* * *

Vince legs swung over the edge of the hardware store, smoking a long drag on a cigarette, he looked at the peaceful violet morning sky.

Thinking about Russell.

The young man's death still hit Vince hard and may him rethink his role as a leader. Here he was dwarfed by Luke and an eleven year old girl! He felt cheated, he felt ridiculous, he felt... jealous of them.

But Vince was always one to control these rampant thoughts. He kept them to himself, as he blew out another cloud of whitish smoke from his mouth to relieve the stress of it all. Yet with each breath he took, he felt the stress leave his system. There was no more Carver too worry about. Luke and Clementine would do what he couldn't, they would save and protect everyone. He was safe here. They were all safe here.

He was glad he had helped, he was glad he had killed Steve in vengeance for Russell. He wasn't suicidal, knowing full well the group needed him in the future (and Vince was one who would never give up, no matter what the circumstance) but Russell's death had crushed his gut and made life that little bit more difficult to live and enjoy.

"Hey, you got a spare" a woman asked approaching Vince from behind.

"Here" he said handing her one. He used the lighter he borrowed from Mike, to light the end of the woman's cigarette, as she inhaled and then exhaled the smoke, as she sat herself besides Vince.

"You're Kelly right?" Vince inquired, as the Asian woman nodded. This was the same woman who had survived the incident at the trenches and was now the sole survivor of Carver's guards who weren't in the pen beforehand, she stared off into the horizon for a while, before uttering "Must have been hard on you, losing the boy"

Vince merely shrugged "Been hard on us all" he commented, his eyes finding the gravel beneath his swaying feet.

"Anyway, apparently were cleaning up the trenches, with that Eddie guy and Kenny. Hell, that will be awkward because I already feel like an outsider in this group, so I thought I'd try and get to know you better. Eddie's too loud and that Kenny guy seems bonkers" Kelly said sadly, brushing the strands of her dark hair from her eyes.

"_I_ seem okay to you?" Vince asked, his eyebrows rising.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, you're just better than those two" Kelly shot him down, as Vince pulled a face of mock sadness.

"Aw... I thought you were starting to like me" He murmured, as the pair laughed, before he continued seriously "Nah, don't worry. Were nothing like Carver. You'll fit into our group in no time. Hell, we have to try and create a better community here"

Vince spoke on with hope, hope he wasn't even aware he still had in the wake of Russell's death. Yet the more he thought of the future the more apparent it became.

"I'm just glad those damn bodies are off the wall, they freaked everyone out" Kelly told him, looking at the place where Carver had slung 12 executed rebels to their deaths. Vince didn't say anything, but once again nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe I'm still alive you know?" Kelly began, as she looked up, "All my family, friends and everyone here died and I survived? It Doesn't make sense, doesn't feel like I earned it, or deserved it. It's weird how the world works you know?" she asked of Vince for reassurance. As Vince looked her over once again, what she was saying related to him. He had murdered someone at the start of this to help his brother. He wasn't a good person, yet he was alive. So stubbornly alive but Russell was dead. He probably didn't deserve to be alive and hell he didn't feel like earned it. But...

"That's just the way it is, you just gotta try and make the best of it" Vince said.

* * *

_"In the pines..._

_In the pines..._

_Where the sun, never shines..." _

"Hey"

Stephanie stopped strumming the strings on her retrieved guitar, as the older woman with her dark brown hair, and darker eyes, gazed down at her.

"Hey" Stephanie replied back.

It had been a weird morning for the raven haired young woman. From watching Shel die, to brutally murdering Steve, to brutally seeing Carver getting killed and then the bandits and then more walkers... and BAM! Sudden victory. Stephanie didn't feel like celebrating, it still far too much for the young woman to take in. Instead she kept quiet that morning, taking a shower for the first time in months didn't even improve her mood. After her shower, she simply used some walkers from the trench and (using the chains kept in the armoury...) made the "watchdogs" once again.

She had been working all morning, the walkers snarled and hissed, about 10 of them were spread around the store. From this, Stephanie knew the group would be safe from bandits and least (and if what Nick and Sarah was saying was true, crazy religious zombie cults as well) with the trench and now the watchdogs in place. The store, was without a doubt a safe haven.

This comforting fact, seemed to still fly over Stephanie's head. Shel should have been here, not her. Shel wanted those watchdogs to stand guard, it was her plan all along, her plan to get William Carver as a "watchdog" so he could "defend the community". Which Stephanie saw as a fitting end for Carver (and Shel must have seen it, as the perfect revenge on Carver, for the death of Becca) yet she had simply watched Luke mash Carver inside out. Not saying a word.

His brains were destroyed, so Carver wouldn't be coming back. After Stephanie had finished her work with the watchdogs, she proceeded to drag a chair from inside and finally get her old guitar back (Carver had confiscated it upon her and Roman's arrival to the Hardware Store, she simply guessed he didn't like music). Yet all the stuff she so badly wanted while in that Pen (a shower and her guitar back) meant nothing anymore. Shel's friendship was what she craved. She didn't realise how good it was, until it was gone.

So, right now she was grieving. Use the pine trees in front of her, as she hummed the old folk song, singing softly to the watchdogs to the left and right of her.

"I've never heard that song before" Lilly told her, sitting crossed leg on the floor, as Stephanie lay back in her chair.

"It's an old folk song. My parents used to sing it too me" Stephanie explained.

"So... were you in a band or something before all this?" Lilly ventured.

"I was, I was just finishing off high school when... everyone happened. To think I was only 18 then... feels like I've aged 50 years" Stephanie told Lilly, who chuckled slightly "I know what that feels like" she told the younger woman lightly, as Lilly eventually sighed and the two women fell back into a lapse of silence.

"So... this watchdog method, you tried it before?" Lilly asked once again, probing more answers from this younger female.

"Yep" Stephanie replied simply, her tone somewhat annoyed by quizzing Lilly was giving her.

"I used to work at an air base before all this, you know in terms of defence I can't believe I didn't think of this method" Lilly told her, as she thought about the long lost motor inn. Rather than that tiny barricade, they could have had a trench as well as the "watchdogs" maybe then, things would have transpired differently and Lee wouldn't be dead...

"It didn't matter, the pit stop we were at fell eventually" Stephanie recalled sadly.

"I suppose everywhere does, I got so stressed about losing the inn my group was staying at, that..." she sighed before continuing "You probably heard from motor mouth Kenny already, but I shot an innocent woman. Because I thought she was stealing our supplies..." she trailed off there, her eyes slightly watery. The rage on Lee's face after she shot Carley...

"I got caught stealing supplies and I would have been shot too, if it weren't for Shel" Stephanie said, this only made Lilly feel worse about herself.

"I suppose Shel was a better woman than me?" she dared to ask. Stephanie remained silent, unsure of what too say before Lilly threw another question at her.

"Why are you out here alone?"

"I'm on guard"

"But I've noticed you've been quiet, not really talking to people" Lilly noted.

Stephanie licked her dry lips, before answering "Well, I'm really not in the mood to talk, Shel, Becca, Roman, my baby. All gone, I'm... in a dark place right now" Stephanie told Lilly clearly. Stephanie could almost imagine herself holding a bundle like Alvin Junior. She could see herself laughing with Shel and Becca, as Roman made another bad joke. But when she opened her eyes she was alone. and gazing at a grimy pine forest.

"Sorry. I know you're in a bad place. But..." Lilly began awkwardly.

"Not really making friends, after what happened last night?" Stephanie spoke for her, as Lilly nodded. Stephanie let out the ghost of a smile "Well, I wouldn't expect them to welcome you with open arms after what happened. But if you're looking for company, hell we can always keep talking" Stephanie told Lilly, whose face crumpled in doubt.

"Wait, you just said you weren't the mood to talk" Lilly pointed out.

"I'm sure Shel wasn't the mood to die. I'm sure no one was in the mood, for an apocalypse. But hell, as Carver always used to say. We do what we need, not what we want" Stephanie summarised, as Lilly inspected her fingers.

"Then why do you feel the _need_, to talk to me? If you were in my group, I'd have shot you for stealing our stuff" Lilly admitted.

Stephanie looked back at her "Well, if Shel didn't forgive me, I know I'd be dead. I might not be the best person to have around. But... after what Shel did for me. I promised, I'd do the same for others" Stephanie explained, as she and Lilly spoke on through the morning. Stephanie found it helped her too. Both her and Lilly shared a lot of guilt for what they had previously done.

Stephanie felt as if she wasn't a good person. But then again was anyone, really? Stephanie would have to simply have to overcome her guilt and grief and try her hardest to be a "good person". Because _trying_ is what won them the rebellion. _Trying_ is what kept them alive. and _trying_ is what kept their humanity intact.

* * *

Bonnie and Mike sat side by side, the truck to engine was rearing, as the truck they were in crossed over the wide dirt path in the forest. The two had just dropped off (and burnt) the bodies of several walkers who were clogging up the trench. By using the WLS as Mike nicknamed it (Walker Landfill Site) which was a large ditch in the forest. Luke had pointed it out on a map of the forest and instructed Bonnie and Mike to drive up there and burn the bodies.

"There could be worse jobs" Bonnie joked.

The cracking of the flames only drew more walkers to the site. Hence they did it away from the store. To avoid a possible second herd. Bonnie had memorized the route in her head. Both her and Mike seemed to throw themselves back into their work to recover from the previous nights events.

But that was hard when Mike started another fire with his lighter.

"Bet you've had enough of fire's for a lifetime" Bonnie joked, after they had finished the job and were driving back to the store.

Mike chuckled lightly, his hands on the wheel, his eyes peeled on the road ahead of him. "Yeah, after last night I think I'm done with rebellions too" he mused, as Bonnie let out another laugh, before they both settled down.

"But seriously last night, You were amazin' fighting that fire Mike" Bonnie complimented him in a sweeter voice. Mike felt a layer of sweat begin to coat his forehead.

"Hell... it was my job. Nothin' much. Besides I freaked out before the fire" Mike told her modestly.

"Nah, Mike you were brilliant. If it weren't for you the store would have gone up in flames" Bonnie said once again, in that southern drawl of her's that Mike liked. Mike coughed as he felt his heart start to beat faster. Was it getting hot in here?

"Well, what about you? If you didn't find that flare. We'd have all died" Mike complimented her, Mike pretended not too notice how visible her flush of red was.

"Oh stop it you!" she said, playfully slapping him, as he laughed slightly "Anyone could have found that flare, even me, the junkie of the group. But only you could have taken out that fire" Bonnie was saying, as Mike eyes struggled to remain on the road, he wanted to turn around to Bonnie and... ah! No, he was working, what he admired about Bonnie was despite everything. She kept a level head and remained focused on the task.

Maybe Bonnie liked him back for the same reason.

With that in mind, he continued to drive on. "Well that's real nice Bonnie. But don't act you didn't do anything. You got the flare, you kept your shit together the whole way through this rebellion. You're cool" Mike last compliment sounded like an awkward afterthought, as he abruptly stopped and felt his cheeks burn. Barely able to believe he had said such an embarrassing, cheesy thing.

Bonnie once again, chuckled at him. "You're cool too fire-fighter" she told him back.

Well, they both had each other's company to look forward too.

As for Bonnie, she was discovering she could be happy again, first Leland then Luke... she rushed into relationships with them. She was dependant on them, but during this rebellion she had gained her independence. Free of drugs and men, Bonnie had proven to herself she could function without them.

She would take it slow with Mike, she obviously still felt bad for Luke and would help him. But she found (too her surprise) she was able to move on.

* * *

Nick slowly plucked at the plants, alone in the warm greenhouse as he felt the crisp sun burn the back of his neck. Ruffling a hand through his short, newly washed hair. He proceeded to drop another berry into the bowl below him. He had stacked quite a few berries in the corner as of now and had been working alone for quite a while.

He had spoken to Sarah earlier, the two shared a short hug, congratulating each other and getting back alive and helping each other too survive. In short Nick had realised he and Sarah had empowered each other. They were an odd duo, but a duo that worked together well. Sarah had promoted him too "My Best Friend whose a boy" (in which Nick was flattered) while Nick could now consider Sarah a very good friend too. He wouldn't let the girl he had grown close too leave his sights any time soon. No, he and Sarah shared a unique bond now that had been through that trek together.

He wanted to stick around now. To live. To see her flourish as the medic she was born to be. He still had so much more to teach her and she had much more to learn. She was still developing and so was he.

He worked on, determined to prove that he was longer a liability. Feeling as if he had a purpose now, something to work for that would help others. Added to the fact Carver was no longer leader and that Luke was... well Nick was happy to be involved.

He cut away for a short while longer, before he heard the greenhouse door creak open, he peered behind him and caught Luke's form enter the greenhouse.

"Hey" Nick greeted him with, approaching his burly friend.

"Hey" Luke greeted back in a much sadder tone.

Nick stood there in silence, suddenly unsure of what to say to make Luke feel better. Instead he could only offer his condolences "Man, I'm sorry about Jane" he told his best friend. Knowing full well, the pair had hooked up. Luke was always good with girls...

"Yeah" Luke dimly acknowledged, Nick's words.

"So..." Nick began, unable to finish his sentence, as Luke's mere presence dampened Nick's good mood. But he'd be dammed if he was going to leave his friend for 20 years in such a state. After everything Luke went through to encourage him, Nick felt like it was time to repay the favour.

"Before I left the store, you told me to come back. Luke... I fought every day to do that. Now I'm here, you can speak to me man" Nick told his friend, as Luke looked up. Nick was still here. Nick was his sole surviving link to the past and during his absence Luke had realised how much he had missed his friend.

"I'm sorry" Luke blurted out.

"For what?" Nick asked.

"For leaving you behind. I treated you like shit Nick. Back in the pen I didn't even back you up. It's just... this whole apocalypse changes people. I just went on at you, when all you were trying to do, was protect the group" Luke explained, as Nick smiled up at him.

"It's nothing... were still friends right?" Nick asked.

Luke grinned at him "We never stopped being friends Nick. I was just being an asshole" Luke mused.

"Hey, I was an asshole too you know" Nick commented back.

"Well then, maybe that explains it"

"Or maybe you are the bigger asshole"

"Oh, so now you get defensive?"

Luke found himself (for a few moments) forgetting about Jane as he shared familiar friendly banter with Nick. Yet despite this banter (and the fact his friend was back) Nick knew Luke wasn't the same man he was before. Something about him had completely changed, after he lost Jane and slaughtered Carver, his friend was different. There was No Going Back for Luke now.

They were practically like brothers, Nick would help his brother, no matter what.

_All over the store, everyone had a job. A purpose, and a motive to keep going and surviving._

_Clementine's second chance. Had worked. _


	52. Epilogue

**A/N- Okay... so this is it. Back in July I started this story as a mere prediction of episode 5 ending with everyone's death and how Clementine could have changed that.**

**Nearly a month and a half later, 51 chapters published, 370 odd reviews, (making it the 5th most reviewed story on the site) over 50 favourites and follows, and over 20,000 views. I can safely say I'm proud of my first work. and once again I can't thank everyone enough for reading and reviewing this story, so I'll get onto my final authors note. (P.S Keep a lookout for my next work "The Spoils Of War" which will be a series of oneshots following this story, and if I manage to get around to it... bridge this story to a sequel)**

**Anyway and now time to give out honours to my reviewers...**

**Obsessed naruhina fangirl- On your latest point, that's pretty interesting I imagine Christa would have taught her at some point. But even then her knowledge would be low, and maybe something I could address in the one-shots. So thanks for that idea.**

**And I'll thank you for leaving your reviews and opinions and for sticking to this story from the start. The discussions I've had with you have been great, and made these author's note much more fun to write. It's been great to share opinions with you on the game, and you're the one to thank for helping me turn this story from a simple escape story. Into a takeover story, as your ideas on a takeover got me thinking... and BAM! It happened. So thanks for your advice and opinions I hope to hear more from you in the future.**

**AquaDestinysEmbrace- One of the trio of "originals" as I like to call you. (Along with Rebloxic and Obsessed naruhina fangirl) your reviews have been great throughout the story. And in return I've also got to enjoy your awesome story "Bad Things Will Always Happen" (and as for the song you wanted Anne to play, I'd say Lead Me Home, quite simply because throughout episode 5. The survivors are looking for a home, whether it be Wellington, the hardware store or simply looking for a destination to call "home" but then again it's your choice) all in all thanks for your reviews (and yeah I got "In The Pines" idea from your story, I just love that song!) **

**Rebloxic- You've stuck with this story from the start and always given your reviews and thoughts on each chapter, so I'll thank you as well. You've been great, and I'm sure your upcoming war story will be great!**

**apathy- You've given brilliant and detailed reviews for many chapters and I can't thank you enough for your interest in the story and your reviews. I'll want to hear more from you in the future as well.**

**Eggomypeggo, Maximo and Lockdown (I like to call you three guys the new trio) you've stuck by this story in it's later chapters and I've looked forward to your reviews, so thanks for giving them! And I hope this epilogue entertains! **

**and now, a shout out and a thanks to these other awesome authors and reviewers**

**Emily Carver, FunFX2012, Legionary prime, K. Lynn Perks, vampirefeem, heidipoo, ShadowCub, Alardem, Martial Arts Master, MizukiKitty123, TOkun92, compa16, skoorpiee, SuperIdinaMenzelObsessedFanboy, TheAlagoana, Kranon The Deathclaw- Human, bigblackduck, NN009, Killerbee77, Zub Zub, The Benevolent Scriber, XXXWOLFLOVERXXX, Night-Chan-DragonEyes, leafs nation, AvengedVeralin, I heart Lyoko, Clarah Convert, BlackGalaxyStars, devilshomie, some guy, Guest T, reader, rokon 900, Lee and Kenny, swiftlavignee, Bubbles2k100, Sventhecrusader, RetroApple and all of the guests! **

**Okay, time to finish this off. Enjoy! **

* * *

**_Epilogue _**

_1 Month Later._

Randy cleared his way through the never ending pine forest. Bits of twigs and broken, brittle brown leaves nestled in his tangled red mane. He wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead, as he turned around to wife Patricia.

She was also sweating slightly, the rays of harsh sunlight lighting her short black hair, as she smiled up to her husband. As she did her stomach growled violently as Randy raised a bushy reddish black eyebrow to her.

"Okay, so I am hungry, don't worry we'll find somewhere" Patricia tried to encourage him. Randy didn't look convinced, as he muttered "Well, we better find _somewhere_ quick. We won't last another night out here" he thought aloud. The nights only grew colder and food grew more sparse. He and his wife had been with a large group before, but one by one they had all slowly fallen, there numerous shelters were ripped apart from the dead or by bandits.

A year ago. Exactly twelve months ago, the last of their original group of 20 perished. Leaving Randy and Patricia to wander onwards aimlessly, trying to survive by themselves, walking and scavenging whenever they could. Randy had no idea where they were, but their last base had been Arziona. But they had been moving for a year now, trying to stay by themselves avoiding groups at all costs.

"Dad, I'm getting hungry" Gill complained.

Of course they had their "son" Gill with them. Gill wasn't their biological son, but the couple found him hiding in his parent's basement, he was 10 then and clutching his small blue blanket, as Randy had to kill Gill's zombified parents. since that day, they had looked after Gill, teaching him how to survive in the apocalypse and to them he was now as good as their "son" despite the ethnic difference between them.

"We'll get some food son, don't worry" Randy tried to reassure him, as he tried to cool himself off by pinching his black t-shirt. They had been walking for days and gone without food for days. Randy's vision was starting to get dizzy... his stomach silently protested to his movements, his feet and legs seared with fatigue. But he would keep moving. They had kept moving for two years. They wouldn't stop moving now... they had survived for this long.

He looked ahead of him, the pine trees seemed to be clearing into some sort of opening... cautiously he pulled out his pistol from his holster. Gill and Patricia instantly ducked to the ground. Knowing the instant Randy pulled out his pistol, it meant trouble.

"What is it, hon?" Patricia asked cautiously as Randy adjusted the black rimmed glasses on his nose.

"I think there's a building ahead" Randy replied, as he crouched forwards and out into the opening.

It was a bizarre site, there was a mass trench filled with water, stretched around what looked like a hardware store. Several walkers lay floating in the murky water. Some alive walkers were snarling on the end of chains, and what was weirder is that a young woman sat on a wooden chair by the trench... humming softly... while strumming away on a guitar.

_"This is not our home..._

_In the Water..._

_Oh..." _

Randy stepped forward cautiously, this caused the leaves around him to rustle and the gravel beneath his feet to crunch. This noise altered the woman to his presence, her head shot up and she discarded her guitar instantly. Bolting upwards, she trained her own pistol own where Randy was crouched in the bushes.

"I can see you!" The woman yelled, Randy now had no choice, he slowly, but sadly stood up.

"I don't want no trouble!" He yelled over to her.

"Neither do we!" The young woman yelled back, still aiming the pistol at Randy's head as they store each other down. However Randy's train of concentration was broken when he heard a strong voiced southerner boom from the roof...

"STAY STILL! DON'T MAKE ANY SUDDEN MOVEMENTS! PUT THE GUN DOWN ON THE GROUND!"

He was speaking through a megaphone. Randy was aware of sweat building on his head as he glanced around wildly. Guns on him from all sides... he sighed and decided (it was his only option really) to drop the gun to the ground. It clanked on the floor, as the young woman seemed to relax slightly, as she lowered her gun.

"Is there anyone else with you?" she asked.

Randy gulped and opened his mouth... "Come on Gill, Patricia!" he instructed of them, as his wife and his son stepped forward cautiously.

"They don't have any weapons!" Randy quickly exclaimed to the raven haired woman, who glared at them through her bright aqua eyes.

"Hmm..." she muttered, her expression softening as she told Randy too "Pass the gun over to me"

He obeyed, he picked up the gun and threw it at the young woman. Stephanie picked it up and smiled as Randy (followed by his wife and son) raised his hands into the air, he muttered "See? We don't want trouble"

"I suppose you seem okay" The young woman told them.

"Can... you please take us in, we won't last another night out there!" Patricia suddenly requested, her brown orbs locked on the large hardware store.

"Patricia..." Randy snapped angrily.

"We need to find something to eat! Besides these people might be the answer were looking for!" Patricia argued back.

"We've survived this long without a group!" Randy reminded her.

"We won't for much longer, we need to find Gill something to eat! Look at him Randy!" she demanded, as Randy's chocolate brown eyes swept back to his droopy eyed adopted son, who was swaying slightly on the spot.

"Fine" Randy seemed to sigh, as he looked back at the young woman who was observing their argument.

"Well you seem genuine, it's wise not to trust strangers. So I think you might be genuine. I'll just have to clear things up with Luke" she informed them, as she pulled out a walkie talkie from her pocket and muttered into it "Hey Luke, we got people here."

The voice of a farmhand responded, as it said "People? Like bandits?"

"No, a family. Dad, Mum and a kid about Clem's age. They seem genuine enough and they've given up their weapons and they want to come in" Stephanie explained as the walkie talkie went silent. As the family of three practically lent over the trench, to listen to his answer.

"Invite them in, have Bonnie show them around. She's just finished her round" The man said.

"Okay" Stephanie responded as the walkie talkie went dead. She turned back to the family of three "Okay you three, wait here for a second" as she disappeared back into the store. The family waited, fidgeting awkwardly, the four guards on the roof still had their guns trained on them, before the young woman emerged with a wooden plank and a kinder looking, redhead woman.

"Okay, careful crossing this thing. It's wonky as hell" The young woman told them, as she lowered the plank across the water filled trench (which was just about wide enough so people couldn't jump across) Randy, Patricia and Gill managed to quickly cross the thing. Before the black haired woman pulled it up again.

"That's our excuse for a drawbridge" The redhead woman laughed, Randy didn't know how to react, as he remained mute.

"Anyway, I'll get back to my post. Watch them Bonnie, everyone inside is dying to meet them. Since they are the first people we've seen in a month" The black haired woman told this "Bonnie" woman.

"Sure thing, see you later Stef"

The younger woman smiled and headed back to her wooden chair and guitar, as "Bonnie" lead them towards the hanger door.

"Um... if you don't mind me asking. Who was that?" Randy inquired Bonnie, as a smile played on her face.

"That's Stephanie. Pretty little thing she is, but she prefers her own company and guitar. She stays by the trench to look out for threats and watch over the watchdogs" Bonnie explained as Randy nodded, before his wife piped up "Watchdogs?".

"Those Walkers we have chained up, we use them as guards in case any bandits get past Stef and the trench. Even then we have the guys up on the roof on guard. So this place is pretty fortified" Bonnie told them proudly, as they approached the seemingly imposing store.

"It's like a castle with a moat" Gill said excitedly, as Bonnie beamed at the child.

"Yeah, it was my partner... I mean workmate's idea, to fill the trenches with water" Bonnie corrected herself quickly, her face red as a beet tomato, as she stuttered to an awkward finish. Luckily for her, they didn't know who she was on about and probably didn't care.

"Anyway, he thought that filling the trenches with water was good idea because walkers couldn't swim, and it is a good idea. Keeps the walkers out, but we have to fish em up and burn the bodies at a site not too far from here. Me and workmate Mike's job is to drive the truck outta here every so often. So the trench doesn't get clogged up with carcasses. Course we need our mini planks and drawbridges to get people and trucks in and out of this place.. but so far we're doing really well" Bonnie was giving them as a speech as Randy clung onto every word.

"What do you mean _so far?" _Patricia quizzed of her, as they entered the cool shade of the store.

"Well, bout a month ago me and the guys here overthrew the madman who ruled this place, we haven't lost anyone since then" Bonnie assured them, as they Gill looked up with wide eyes as the shelves stocked with food, to the right and left of him.

"Erm... look you don't mind us staying do you?" Randy asked awkwardly, as Bonnie smiled.

"Course not, we're welcome to everybody. Unless your a bandit, or a walker. All were trying to do here is build up a good community and as long as you folk are willing to pull your weight, we'll accept you with open arms" Bonnie mused, as they walked on.

"Yeah, we'd be fine with that" Patricia told her warmly.

"Glad to hear it, and if you folks don't mind me asking... where did you come from before you came here?" Bonnie asked, it was only then Randy realized how closed up he was being. When these people seemed very open and friendly, he felt like he should have returned the favour.

"Right well I'm Randy, this is my wife Patricia and our son Gill" Randy said introducing himself and his family.

"Nice to meet you Randy, it's nice to have a fellow ginger around here. I thought we'd gone extinct" Bonnie joked, as Randy let out a hacking laugh, finally starting to feel more comfortable around this woman and this store as a whole.

"Me too" He mused back.

"And how about you son? How old are you?" Bonnie asked Gill sweetly, he gave the sullen reply of "12" as Bonnie looked up confused at Randy.

"Um... I don't wanna sound rude but..." Bonnie began looking at Patricia and Randy and then back to Gill... Randy knew what she was getting at.

"We found him, his our son now" Randy said firmly as Bonnie nodded vigorously "Of course, I was just curious" she said quickly, before she swept forward. Hoping she hadn't hit a nerve with them.

"So I'll take you to the sickbay first, if anybody's wounded our three doctors can treat you there" Bonnie explained, as she opened a door leading into the sick bay.

"We could just use some food to be honest" Randy told her, as he followed her into the sickbay.

"Well, it's best you get to meet everyone anyway" she informed them, she stepped into the sickbay and called "Okay everyone, the new guys are here! So be nice!" as the family of three slowly crept into the room, which was covered in comfortable looking make shift beds. A dozen photos were stuck on the grey walls, but before Randy could come and inspect them, he noticed four figures approaching him.

"Hey dude, name's Wyatt" A man with long dirty blonde hair, a beard and glasses said to him, Randy was dimly aware of shaking the man's hand. As he repeated his name "I'm Randy... Randy..." as he and his wife and son were also introduced to the kindly Indian woman "Sarita". Whose one arm ended with a stump "A walker just got me on the wrist, Luke had to cut it off..." she explained to Patricia who inquired about her injury. A teenager who had to be about 15 or 16, introduced herself as "Sarah!" and buzzed around them like an overexcited fly.

"Ah cool! You're new people! Where'd you come from!? You know it's great to meet new, nice, people!" she exclaimed at them, at a million miles an hour. As Sarah went on, a curly haired woman in her mid thirties approached them and introduced herself as Rebecca and the bundle she was carrying in her arms as "AJ", Patricia asked about the father in which Rebecca replied (somewhat bitterly) "dead now". But the whole thing seemed like a blur to Randy... meeting so many nice people in such a short space of time. After months of isolation with his family and nothing but bandits all around them...

They eventually left the sick-bay and proceeded on through the store, Bonnie looked back at Randy "You looked a bit overwhelmed there Randy" she told him.

"Sorry, it's been months since I last spoke to decent people" Randy explained to her.

"Aw, that's fine. We've all been through bad stuff, you'll adjust don't sweat about it" Bonnie kindly told him, before two more (dust coated) figures walked up to them.

"So... this is Lilly and Mike. They help me with construction and clearin' the bodies from the trench" Bonnie introduced them. Randy tried to give a warmer welcome this time. But the woman (Lilly) still seemed fairly cold and shot out questions at them suspiciously. However the man, (Mike) was much more laid back and friendly. as he made a few jokes with Randy before Bonnie moved them forwards once again.

"Well they seemed nice" Randy informed Bonnie and his family.

"They are, Lilly's a bit snappy and cold. But don't worry, once you're on her good side. She'll fight tooth and nail for you" Bonnie explained, as if she could sense the family's instant dislike for Lilly, Still Patricia decided to try and move conversation forwards by asking Bonnie about the baby that Rebecca had.

"Yeah, his called Alvin Junior after his papa. But we started calling him AJ and it stuck..."

While she did that, Randy looked down at his son, "So what do you make of this place son?" he asked of him. As the young black boy looked up at him and mumbled "I think it's cool. Everyone seems nice, but not too nice you know? So it seems real enough" Gill said giving his insight on the store and it's survivors, as Randy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, maybe we've finally found the home we've been looking for" Randy said, as they were led out onto the roof.

The four guards with guns instantly approached the newcomers like moths drawn to a bright light. Randy tensed up, these four had guns and that scared him slightly, he tried to maintain a light posture however as he greeted them with an airy "Hey, I'm Randy, nice to meet you all"

As a response, he got "What's with the black kid?" from the man who had spoken into the microphone earlier. Randy turned to face him, he had a grey-ish black hair and beard and one of his eyes was covered with a brand new white bandage, when he said these words Bonnie gasped.

"Kenny, honestly!" she scalded him.

"What?" Kenny asked, unaware of his blunt rudeness.

"Way to break the ice dude" A younger man with a black beard said from next to him, as he rolled his eyes.

More names and more faces. The young man with good sense of humour was Eddie, an Asian man and woman were Vince and Kelly and the redneck who had called out Randy's son for being black was Kenny. He seemed an alright guy, but Randy still didn't get a very good impression of him, from his first words.

They walked into the greenhouses as Bonnie almost seemed to sense the dislike Randy now harboured towards Kenny that floated in the nearby air, as she sighed and muttered "Don't hold it against Kenny. It's just the way he is" as Randy remained mute. Knowing that it would take some time for him to get to like this "Kenny" guy. As Bonnie cleared her throat and dived into her next speech.

"Now I'm gathering y'all all hungry. Well we get the food from here, these greenhouses, give us fresh harvests. We also have solar panels on the roof to give us power..."

As Bonnie spoke on, Randy's eyes were drawn to a tall figure, lurking at the back of the greenhouses, Gill followed his gaze and called out a distant "Hi!" to the figure who seemed to freeze on the spot, as he slowly approached them.

"Hey" the figure replied. He was a tall man, with short black hair and strong blue eyes.

"Ah, this here is Nick! He works on getting us our food" Bonnie explained, as the man looked down somewhat shyly.

"Well then you're my favourite person here already" Randy told him lightly, as Nick let out a small chuckle.

"Well, that's good to know" He responded lightly, yet he didn't say anything else. As an awkward silence overcame the room.

"Well, nice seeing you Nick, let's get to the office so Luke, our leader can meet ya" Bonnie said as she opened the greenhouse door. Gill waved at Nick, who silently waved back. Passing the four guards again, the family and Bonnie descended from the roof.

"What's with that man? He seemed quieter than the rest" Patricia asked of Bonnie, who opened her mouth to explain.

"Nick's a great guy, his just wary of strangers that's all. Trust me once you get to know him, you'll like him" as they proceeded towards the office that overlooked the store. Bonnie opened the door with gusto, as Randy peered cautiously at this "leader".

He was a young man with bright brown hair, and soft maple coloured eyes. He seemed well built, but there was something Randy instantly knew about him. He was stressed. His thin smile to them and the sadness lurking behind his maple coloured eyes was evident, as he asked Bonnie (almost wearily) "So, these are the new people?"

"Yep, Gill, Patricia and Randy, this our leader, Luke" Bonnie told them, as Luke took a bow to them. "It's a honour to have you here, I hope y'all honest people who want to help out this community" he told them sternly.

"Man, we are. We're just looking for food and water and a roof over our heads. We've been moving for a whole year now, we came from Arizona" Randy explained quickly as Luke's eyes widened.

"Damn, you're a long way from home then, however here in Tennessee, we'll give you some great southern hospitality" Luke told them, as the family's jaws hit the floor. Upon learning that they had travelled this damn far across America in the space of a year.

"Well, were just happy to be here" was all Patricia could say.

"And were happy to have you" Luke mused. Despite what Randy had picked up about him. Luke generally seemed like a nice guy.

A small cough from the corner of the room caught everyone's attention as a small voice said "Bonnie, Luke are you forgetting about me?"

"Oh sorry Clem!" Bonnie exclaimed as she turned back to the family "Gill, Patricia, Randy meet our co-leader, Clementine".

Now Randy was shocked, as a girl about Gill's age stepped out from the shadows, with a quirky cap on her hand, this girl had piercing yellow, almond shaped eyes, and strands of curly black laid over her forehead as she inspected the newcomers with semi- interested eyes.

"Whoa, hang on a second, this little girl is your co-leader!?" Randy exclaimed, bewildered.

"Hey, this isn't just any little girl. She's special to all of us here" Luke said, as he looked back at Clementine, as if urging her to introduce herself.

"Hey, I'm Clementine. I know you're confused, but don't worry, you'll learn a lot more from the others, the longer you stay here" Clementine explained to them, as the family of three store at her in wonder.

"Well... it's nice to meet you Clementine" Patricia said.

Clementine simply nodded at this, as Gill approached the girl his age.

"Cool hat" he told her.

"Thanks" Clementine responded.

Ever since Randy's family arrived at that store, there was No Going Back for them. They settled into the store easily and enjoyed a better life there. Food was plentiful, they made friends quickly and the jobs they assigned gave them a purpose, and kept the community going.

And as for little Clementine, what could she say now? There was never any solid happy endings. She knew this place may have fallen eventually, but so far it had lasted a month and seemed like it would continue to do so.

So, for now. She guessed this was a happy ending. Or the happiest ending she could have achieved.

She sometimes wondered what would have happened if she went through the escape again. If Shel, Russell, Jane, Becca, Reggie, the guards at the store... she wondered if more of them could have lived. But she wiped away such thoughts, what happened, simply happened. She did her very best and had succeeded in many ways.

At first, everyone died and she shot herself in the fields of snow.

Second time around, the majority were alive and residing in Carver's hardware store.

She knew which one she preferred. Her choice had been made. Her mind was set.

And ultimately, this time...

There was...

_No Going Back. _


End file.
